Nicolas Cage has played a number of strange characters over the decades. Who can forget Castor Troy in “Face/Off?” Or Ghost Rider pissing fire in the superhero sequel ‘Spirit of Vengeance?’ Then, of course, there’s whatever the hell he was doing in “Season of the Witch.” But we can safely say that his upcoming role in the Amazon series “Highfire” might be his weirdest yet.
According to Deadline, Cage has signed on to voice the lead role in the upcoming live-action fantasy series “Highfire” for Amazon. In the series, Cage will provide the voice for the title character, a drunk dragon that lives isolated in the swamps of Louisiana. Yep, you read that right. The series is based on the novel by author Eoin Colfer and is said to blend fantasy elements with the dark, gritty realism of “True Detective.” In other words, this is the perfect role for Nicolas Cage.
“Highfire” is being developed by Davey Holmes, who is probably best known for being the producer of the “Get Shorty” TV series that ran for three seasons on EPIX. He’s also written for shows such as “Shameless,” “In Treatment,” “Damages,” and “Law & Order.” So, Holmes’ gritty realism bonafides are very well known. We’ll just have to see how he balances that with a world of dragons and magic.
In addition to “Highfire,” Cage has a number of new projects he’s currently working on. There’s the film where he is fighting animatronics come to live in “Wally’s Wonderland.” He’s also set to play a version of himself in the amazingly meta “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” And let’s not forget that he’s also apparently signed up to portray Joe Exotic in an adaptation of the “Tiger King” story. And now, add to it the role of a drunk dragon and you have quite the slate for any actor.