Nicolas Cage is eating well in the lead-up to releasing his first Western, The Old Way, and starring as the immortal vampire Dracula in the trailer for Chris McKay’s supernatural comedy Renfield. While Cage never goes out of style, he’s enjoying a resurgence akin to Hollywood sweetheart Brendan Fraser. Arguably, Cage could have his pick of any project. Still, he recently told /Film he’s eager to return to the world of Brian De Palma’s 1998 noir thriller Snake Eyes. Cage played Rick Santoro in the conspiracy-driven mystery, an Atlantic City police detective investigating the murder of a high-profile boxer. Could Cage and De Palma join forces for Snake Eyes 2? Never say never.
Speaking with /Film’s Jeremy Smith about myriad projects across his colorful career, Cage revealed that since they made Snake Eyes, he’s wanted to work with De Palma again.
“You know something? I’ve been trying to work with Brian ever since I made that movie,” Cage explained. “We had a great script about Howard Hughes that David Koepp wrote. I’d like to revisit that. But I just found out that it’s the 23rd anniversary of ‘Snake Eyes.’ I don’t watch my old movies, but I’m compelled to watch that one again because I had a great time working with Brian because of his guts and ability to do these huge takes.”
Koepp’s Howard Hughes script was one of many floating around Hollywood before Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator knocked the others out of contention. At various times, versions of Hughes’ story involved Edward Norton, Warren Beatty, Jim Carrey with Christopher Nolan, and the Cage De Palma project. In De Palma’s version, Cage would have pulled double duty as Hughes and his fake biographer, Clifford Irving.
Carla Gugino, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Stan Shaw, and Kevin Dunn also star in Snake Eyes. The film showcases Cage’s signature manic energy and De Palma’s talent for intricate shots and elaborate atmosphere. The duo makes for an exciting couple on the silver screen, and now I’m in the mood to rewatch Snake Eyes. Damn you, Cage! Why do you have to have so many good ideas?
Are you a fan of De Palma’s Snake Eyes? Would you like to see Cage and De Palma enter production on Snake Eyes 2? What type of mystery would Rick Santoro try to solve? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments.