From high school stoner comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High to starring in cult comedies like the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona to his Oscar-winning dramatic turn in Leaving Las Vegas, Nicolas Cage has set himself apart from other actors of his generation by not being afraid to take wild swings with roles or dabbling in different genres. So what is next for the 58-year-old star? Well, if he has his way, a turn as one of Batman’s most obscure villains: Egghead.
Why Egghead?
Egghead is a villain created specifically for the 1960s Batman television series. He is a character known for his large, egg-shaped bald head and his egg puns. The character was memorably brought to life by character actor Vincent Price, and if Cage had his way, he’d love to take on the role.
Talking to the Happy Sad Confused Podcast (opens in new tab) at the Toronto Film Festival, Cage had this to say:
You know what I mean it’s like, Egghead is Vincent Price, right? He’s one of our other great American superstar actors that I revere and had so much fun watching growing up—theater of Blood. So I was watching the Batman show because I really wanted to see what Vincent Price was going to do. And the character’s hilarious. I mean, everything starts with ‘Egg-cellent.’ And it’s, ‘Egg-static.’ But I’m not calling Warner Bros..
While this pun-slinging take on a villain may sound more at home in Schumacher's campy Caped Crusader movies, Cage assures us that there is a darker take on the character that could fit into a gritty Gotham.
This is just more of a fun little thing. Cause I’m on a red carpet, somebody asks me a question, I want to give them a funny answer. But there is an approach to that character that could be terrifying. And I’ve thought a lot about it. I’m not going to share it with you.
This checks out.The Nic Cage of a few years ago may have placed the actor squarely in line for campier roles. In fact, after a turn in a handful of forgettable straight-to-DVD or streaming thrillers, mainly regulated to dollar bins, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking the actor's better days were behind him. But starting with 2018’s psychedelic revenge horror film, Mandy Nicolas Cage has begun starring in some of his most memorable performances. I’d say we are in a full-fledged Cageassance!
The year 2021 saw Cage starring in Pig, garnering him excellent reviews and even more Oscar buzz, and in 2022 he tackled what might be his most meta role of all, himself, in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Taking on a “dark” version of Egghead might be a great next step.
Is There A Future For This Nicolas Cage Villain In The Current DC Universe?
DC has had a bumpy start getting its cinematic universe off the ground. Even this year, at the beginning of August, Warner scrapped its 70 million-dollar Batgirl movie and rearranged the release dates for Aquaman, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash thanks to the drama surrounding Ezra Miller. No one would blame you if you needed help knowing how to watch the DC movies in order.
Still, what sets DC apart from Marvel is its willingness to make stand-alone movies without any connection to one another. In a cinematic universe where Ben Affleck’s Batman exists alongside gods like Superman and Wonderwoman, yet Robert Pattinson is playing a more grounded take of the Dark Knight in his universe, why can’t Nicolas Cage play the egg-headed, pun-slinging villain?
Perhaps Todd Phillips has room in the confirmed Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à deux, for a singing Egghead? I’d be the first in line to buy tickets to that.For now, if you love Nicolas Cage, dozens of his best movies are streaming now for you to enjoy, spanning forty years of work.
