We’d like to believe a lot of our favorite actors (and even ones we don’t care for) act for the love of it, or they like to seek out enviable challenges for their considerable skills. Quite often, though, they’re like Nicolas Cage, who’s been scrambling in recent months to attach himself to a series of projects that can meet his quote, though even that’s somewhat in doubt lately.
A recent Vulture article catches us right up with Cage’s current conundrums. As we reported back in November, Cage owes $6.6 million in back taxes and has been forced to sell a number of his properties and fairly quirky acquisitions. He also sued his financial manager Samuel Levin for $20 million, causing Levin to counter-sue, claiming Cage would have to make $30 million a year to support his extravagant lifestyle. Needless to say, easier said than done.
With the government running up an even bigger bill on Cage (apparently $13 million according to Vulture, spaced out over a couple of years), he’s been forced to put the pedal to the metal, churning out product at a rate that’s affecting his marketability. Already it has resulted in Cage taking $10 million for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” about half his usual fee, which seems more than fitting given the film’s financial failure.
Fully aware of his declining brand, Sony only offered $5 million to return for “Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance,” despite the first film doing respectable business worldwide. Also behind the eight ball, Sony played hard to get despite the potential loss of the ‘GR’ franchise to Marvel Studios and Disney, had a sequel not been in production by November. In the end, both parties needed each other and Sony and Cage agreed on a $7 million fee. However, he also has to jump aboard “Trespass,” a production that he’s already created havoc with – which you can read more about here.
Vulture neglects to mention that the biggest reason he’s aboard “Ghost Rider 2,” is that Disney has dragged their feet on another “National Treasure” movie. Cage is probably betting he can get his $20 million payday for the next installment in that series, as the first two films pulled in $378 and $457 million worldwide, respectively. Still, that would mean Disney reuniting with Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turtletaub, and the sting of their last collaboration (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) might still be fresh in their memory. Without much more on his schedule (will he get his $20 million for “The Croods”?), someone might have to deal with more than a few unpleasant visits from men in suits.