TALENT UNCAGED

After years of churning out flops to pay off his debts, Nicolas Cage is finally back on the big screen

- DENNIS CAVERNELIS

HE WAS once one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown with an Oscar on his mantelpiece and directors falling all over themselves to sign him up.

Quirky hits, action films, romantic weepies - you name it, Nicolas Cage starred in them all.

But then it all went pearshaped and Nicolas went from being a big deal to a bit of a joke. The 58-year old became better known for starring in memes and appearing in YouTubeclip compilations of his most outrageous movie moments.

And the films he did make even pre-pandemic – were never going to be screened in cinemas.

To top it all, Nicolas was practically broke after burning through a $150million (R2,25 billion) fortune and owing the US revenue service property taxes of $6,3m (R94,5m).

Little wonder then that he took on as many jobs as he could and he did score a few cult favourites such as Pig, Mandy and Color Out of Space.

His box-office clout might have vanished but he never gave up.

And his tenacity has paid off. Nicolas' combination of old blockbuster smashes, prestige indies and mangled mix of duds made him the perfect choice for the new movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

The action-comedy, which was first screened at festivals earlier this year, is his first big-screen appearance since 2016 and it's had nothing but rave reviews.

Nicolas plays Nick Cage, an egocentric, down-on-his-luck version of himself who accepts a $1m (R15m) offer from a wealthy mega-fan (played by Pedro Pascal) to attend a party in Spain.

He also plays the imaginary Nicky, his bombastic '90s alter ego.

Nick quickly finds himself in a real-life action adventure as he tumbles down a rabbit hole of references to his past roles after discovering his fan is also a dangerous druglord.