Nicolas Cage thinks he’d make for a ‘perfect‘ Joker. Nic Cage has had a long, storied history with the comic book movie genre. He’s a huge fan of Superman – to point that he even named his son Kal-El – and famously signed on to play the character in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives. Unfortunately, despite the project going through numerous drafts and costumes being designed, it was cancelled by Warner Bros. due to the rising cost. Cage’s dream recently came through though, as he’ll get to voice Superman in upcoming animated movie Teen Titans GO! To The Movies.
He’s had a number of near misses with other projects too, including playing The Scarecrow in cancelled sequel Batman Unchained and the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. He’s got scratch his comic book itch eventually, playing the titular role in both Ghost Rider movies. While his quirky performances were easily the highlight of the two movies, they both received weak reviews. Cage also played Big Daddy in Kick-Ass, where he got to channel Adam West’s Batman.
Related: Nicolas Cage To Voice Superman In Teen Titans GO! Movie
Cage was recently musing on his comic book movie days in a new interview with JoBlo, where he was asked if there are any characters he’d still love to play. The actor thinks that if he was to be drawn back to the genre, it would be for a juicy villain role:
I mean, I think my comic book days are kind of…I’m on to other things, but I always thought I’d make a great Joker and I always thought that I would’ve been a good villain in one of the Marvel [movies] like Doctor Doom. But, Doctor Doom you have to wear that mask, but I thought the story leading up to Doctor Doom could’ve been interesting. At this point if I was to go back into the format it would probably have to be as a villain.
He’s also agreed the Joker would be the best role for his bombastic acting style.
It would be the perfect one for me to go even more off the rails than I’ve ever done before and, y’know, it’d be fun.
In terms of a comeback role in a mainstream blockbuster, the Joker would be an ideal fit for Cage. That said, the role looks booked up for the foreseeable future. Jared Leto is still lined up to play the character again for Suicide Squad 2, and DC’s solo Joker is currently linking Joaquin Phoenix for the role – though the actor is seemingly playing coy for now. The Room’s Tommy Wiseau would also very much like to be in the running, though his campaign feels a little tongue in cheek.
The Joker is arguably the most famous comic villain of all time, and actors like Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger have all made the part their own. Despite being the rumored first choice for The Dark Knight, Sean Penn recently confirmed he was never approached about the Joker. Maybe if Phoenix decides the Joker movie isn’t for him, Nicolas Cage would be in with a chance; regardless of the quality of the resulting movie, he’d undoubtedly give a performance audiences would never forget.
More: Sean Penn Says Chris Nolan Never Offered Him The Joker Role
