Nicolas Cage in talks for superhero TV series
The Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage has stated that he’s in talks to appear in a new live-action TV series based on Spider-Man Noir, his character from the 2018 animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Coming away from the 2018 film as a fan-favourite character, many were hoping that Cage would reappear in future sequels, however, the actor has yet to do so. But, speaking at SXSW, Cage has swirled speculation that he will be returning as Spider-Man Noir, telling Collider that he is in talks to reprise the same role in a stand-alone TV series of his own.
“Well, I can say that we have been talking. It’s no secret that I love the character. I think the character provides another mash up of sorts. I can combine my favorite golden age performances, i.e. Robinson, Cagney, Bogart, with a character that is, I guess, widely considered [to be] Stan Lee’s masterpiece,” Cage said of the dark Spider-Man variation, who is more of a noir-inspired detective than a friendly, neighbourhood crime-stopper.
The origins of his character place him in early 20th-century New York when the Great Depression was causing issues for millions of people across the country, with the forthcoming series thought to be taking place in a similar time period.
“I see it as a kind of foray into a pop art mash up of, sort of, a [Jungian] Lichtenstein, mash up by way of Bogart and Cagney,” Cage further enthused about his character, “But nothing’s definitive yet. It’s just conversation”.
The actor has had a fascinating career in the superhero genre, with his formative steps in the industry almost beginning with instant stardom, narrowly missing out on the chance to play Superman in the cancelled 1998 Tim Burton movie Superman Lives. Decades later, this effort was memorialised in DC’s 2023 epic The Flash, with Cage appearing as the ‘Man of Steel’ alongside the likes of Christopher Reeve.
In addition, Cage starred as the gothic Ghost Rider in two somewhat unsuccessful movies in the early 21st century, as well as appearing in Matthew Vaughn’s superhero satire Kick-Ass in 2010, playing a character not all that dissimilar from Spider-Man Noir.
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