The Surfer: Nicolas Cage studies a bullet in the first image from Lorcan Finnegan’s psychological thriller

Last Updated on December 29, 2023

Nicolas Cage is ready to show audiences he’s no Barney when it comes to joining the Dawn patrol for some heavy waves in The Surfer, a psychological thriller from Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan. The project recently wrapped production in Western Australia, with Cage taking the lead as “a man who returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S. but is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates, he is brought to the edge of his sanity, and his identity is thrown into question.” (via Deadline)

Today’s image for The Surfer depicts Cage with a look of bewilderment as he stares at a bullet. With a wound across his forehead and wrinkled clothing, Cage’s character appears to have seen better days.

Finnegan directs from a script by Thomas Martin (Tin Star, Ripper Street, White Widow). Finnegan shot the feature in one location, Yallingup in Western Australia, a town located in the South West region of Western Australia. Nicolas Cassin (Around the Block, Winter, The Oulaw Michael Howe), Alexander Bertrand (American Gangster, Operation Buffalo, Les Norton), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four, Nip/Tuck, Charmed), Miranda Tapsell (The Dry, Love Child, Top End Wedding), Justin Rosniak (War Machine, Animal Kingdom, Mr Inbetween), Rahel Romahn (Shantaram, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Finn Little (Yellowstone, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Angel of Mine), and Charlotte Maggi (Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, Summer Love) star alongside Cage as primary cast members.

Earlier this month, Cage told Vanity Fair he’s thinking of retiring from feature films. “I may have three or four more movies left in me,” he told the publication, explaining, “I do feel I’ve said what I’ve had to say with cinema…I think I took film performance as far as I could.”

While Cage may step away from cinema, he says he’s game to try his hand at television. “Maybe it’s time to look at the immersive streaming experience,” adding, “I don’t know. I have to look for the next step, and I haven’t found it yet.”

Are you excited about Cage’s role in The Surfer? Do you think he’ll retire from making movies anytime soon? Sound off in the comments section below!