There seems to be a delightful shift in Nicolas Cage’s public perception. It was only a short time ago that his name was met with groans. “I wish he’d quit making movies!”  “Yeah, if he’s not going to make good movies anymore, why bother. Remember Leaving Las Vegas? Man, he was brilliant.”

But now when Cage becomes attached to something, everyone is really excited. I don’t know if it’s all due to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans or just The Wicker Man going viral.  But he’s something like our generation’s Christopher Lee, cheered on as he drives cars from the bowels of hell, or shoots men because their souls are still dancing.

So, as we prepare ourselves  for Drive Angry, The Season of the Witch, and Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance with the proper B-movie reverence, Cage is busy lining up more work.  Heat Vision reports that he’s continuing his Millennium friendship, and has signed onto Simon West’s Medallion. 

Cage will play a father with a shady past (he was a former master thief) whose daughter winds up kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a cab. A New York medallion cab, to be precise.  He has only a few hours to find her, and a lot of cabs to hunt through. 

That’s … that’s it? There’s no ghosts or anything? Huh. I can see why this was once supposed to star Clive Owen or Jason Statham. Well, maybe now that will change with Cage on board. They can bring in some kind of arcane artifact for him to steal. Something that consumes souls or opens portals.   I don’t want just any kidnapping movie. I want a Nic Cage kidnapping movie because that means there will be cocaine or cannibals. Get on that, David Guggenheim.

[The image is Brandon Bird's beautiful Nicolas Cage Adventure Set which is exactly how I expect Medallion to be assembled from here on out.]