Nicolas Cage, coming off an acclaimed performance in surprisingly emotional drama Pig, has signed on for not just his first western, but his first two. The newly announced film is titled The Old Way, and will shoot back-to-back with another western, the previously announced Butcher’s Crossing, which will also star Cage.
The Old Way follows a retired gunslinger now retired from his previously deadly life, now running a general store. When a gang of outlaws roll into town and murder his wife, he takes back up his holster and sidearm and sets out for revenge with a surprising partner: his 12-year-old daughter.
Brett Donowho (Acts Of Violence) will direct from a script written by Carl W. Lucas. Cage told Deadline what it means to finally pick up his six shooter and head into the old west:
“After 43 years in cinema, I’m only now being invited to the important and storied genre of the Western with both The Old Way and Butcher’s Crossing. Being born and raised in the West, this is another good match and long overdue. I’m excited and compelled by the complex characters of both Briggs and Miller, and to find new ground to play at 57 is indeed galvanizing.”
Capstone will handle the sales of The Old Way at the Toronto International Film Festival, which begins this week. Both westerns will shoot back-to-back in Montana.
Cage had a recent prolonged period of throwaway paycheque movies thanks to his financial troubles, but those seem to be behind him as he’s getting involved in interesting projects again.
Alongside these two westerns, he’s also got Sion Sono‘s neo-noir Prisoners Of The Ghostland arriving later this month, and meta comedy The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent and action film The Retirement Plan due next year.
And this year saw the release of not only Pig, but also animatronic-based horror comedy Willy’s Wonderland. Eccentric Cage is back!
#Peace.Love.TheOldWay
