Dream Scenario has no release date yet, but that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to already get excited about it. It’s the age of Cage, and with an incredible supporting cast, there’s a lot to look forward to.
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The plot for Dream Scenario is currently under wraps, but we do know it is a comedy of some sort. Considering A24’s history, it’s safe to assume it won’t be your run-of-the-mill comedy. A24 are behind many unconventional genre movies, including the comedies Swiss Army Man — also known as the farting corpse movie — and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which follows a one-inch-tall shell (Jenny Slate) who lives with his grandmother (Isabella Rossellini) and gets his life turned around by an Airbnb guest who finds him amongst the house’s clutter.
The studio’s highest-grossing movie ever, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is a comedy/sci-fi. Released earlier this year, EEAaO is directed by the same people behind Swiss Army Man (the Daniels) and is predictably as absurd. It stars Michelle Yeoh as a stressed-out laundromat manager who must use her skills from across the multiverse to save the world and do her taxes. And despite the butt-plug jokes and fanny-pack stunts, it is surprisingly moving. So expect the unexpected from Dream Scenario.
Nicolas Cage is expected to play the lead role in Dream Scenario. The Academy Award-winning actor, who is eccentric on and off screen, is known for movies like Leaving Las Vegas, Con Air, and National Treasure, and for being the face of many internet-breaking memes (“Not the bees!”). After a slew of unsuccessful direct-to-video movies, Cage made his career comeback in 2021 with the Michael Sarnoski drama Pig, playing the lead role of a truffle hunter. Pig got rave reviews, as did his most recent movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which sees him play a fictionalised version of himself. The action comedy, directed by Tom Gormican, reminded audiences of Cage’s comedic chops — which are arguably best flexed in Raising Arizona.
Joining Cage in Dream Scenario is actress Julianne Nicholson, who won a Primetime Emmy for her performance in HBO’s Mare of Easttown, and actor Michael Cera, known for playing oddball characters in Juno, Superbad, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Other cast members include Dylan Baker (Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Happiness), Kate Berlant (Would It Kill You to Laugh?, Don’t Worry Darling), Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, First Girl I Loved), and Tim Meadows (Saturday Night Live, Mean Girls).
Dream Scenario is director Kristoffer Borgli’s third feature film. His first, DRIB, a mockumentary based on reveal events, premiered at SXSW in 2017. It stars Amir Asgharnejad as himself: a comedian who scams himself to viral fame and almost ends up the face of a well-known energy drink. Stranger Things icon Brett Gelman plays the hellish creative behind his campaign. Borgli’s second feature film, Sick of Myself, had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Un Certain Regard award, which focuses on arthouse, artistically daring films. A black comedy, Sick of Myself is described as an “unromantic romance” about a narcissistic couple who constantly try to one-up each other. Kristine Kujath Thorp’s character becomes so desperate for attention she even makes herself sick (hence the title).
A24, Jacob Jaffke, and Tyler Campellone are producing Dream Scenario, alongside Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen for their Square Peg banner. Aster and Knudsen formed the production partnership back in 2019 after working together on Hereditary, which Aster wrote and directed and Knudsen produced. They later served the same roles for Midsommar. Cinematography comes from Benjamin Loeb, who has worked on the A24 movies After Yang and When You Finish Saving the World, and who provided the cinematography for the Nicolas Cage-starring Mandy and Borgli’s Sick of Myself.
It may be a while before we get to see Dream Scenario on screen, but there’s plenty else to look forward to. For a start, Cage has two exciting movies coming up: the Western drama Butcher’s Crossing and the horror comedy Renfield. Butcher’s Crossing is directed by Gabe Polsky and had its world premiere back in September. Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by John Edward Williams, it follows an Ivy League drop-out who travels to the Colorado wilderness and joins a team of buffalo hunters on a harrowing journey. Renfield is directed by Chris McKay and is set to be released in April 2023. In it, Cage plays the Bram Stoker vampire, Dracula, while Nicholas Hoult plays the titular character, Dracula’s henchman.
Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen also have a movie in the works titled Disappointment Blvd. The upcoming horror comedy is Aster’s third movie with A24 and stars Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role. Plot details are vague for this one too, so keep an eye out for updates.
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