Nicolas Cage Will Hunt Osama bin Laden in an Upcoming Comedy
Nicolas Cage has made a habit of selecting atrocious film roles for the better part of a decade, so it’s always a pleasant surprise when he finds himself attached to something that actually sounds promising. Fresh off a Razzie nomination for the quick and dirty paycheck gig that was ‘Left Behind,’ Cage is set to lead ‘Army of One,’ a film adaptation of a truly bizarre story about man’s hunt for Osama bin Laden.
As history (and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’) have shown us, Gary Faulkner’s quest to track down the most wanted man in the world ended in failure, but it did lead to really excellent GQ article. Chronicling his insane, globetrotting misadventure (which involved multiple attempts to sneak into war zones), the article reads like a pitch for a great, bizarre character comedy. In other words, it sounds like the ideal subject matter for director Larry Charles, who has been mixing shock comedy, humiliation, and politics into films like ‘Borat’ and ‘The Dictator’ (and TV shows like ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’) for quite some time now.
Charles being behind the camera on ‘Army of One’ makes it pretty clear that this film is going to take a comedic route, which feels right. Faulkner’s story isn’t just one of failure. It’s a tale of an oblivious American trying to do his ultimate patriotic duty and falling flat on his face. The satire writes itself. Plus, it’s been far too long since Cage has been allowed to be funny and everyone knows that wild, unhinged Cage is so much better than serious, mopey Cage.
‘Army of One’ is set to begin filming very soon. No release date has been set.
[via Deadline]