Dream scenario: Which comic actor did Nicolas Cage replace?

What is it about? Paul Matthews, an ordinary professor, finds his life turned upside down when he starts appearing in the dreams of millions of people. Paul then becomes something of a media phenomenon, but his newfound celebrity quickly takes an unexpected turn…

Adam Sandler is expected!

When the project was in its early stages, it was to be written and directed by Ari Astaire, with Adam Sandler playing the title character. But when the director of the recent Beau Is Afraid and the producers of A24 saw Sick Of Myself, they decided to commission him to write and direct the film. A dream scenario Christopher Borgley. The latter accepted and preferred Nicolas Cage in the main role. Additionally, Ari Aster is a producer on the film.

Stubborn characters

Christopher Borgle directs his first English-language film with a dream script. For this occasion, he wanted to offer a funny reflection on our perception of modern life, where anyone can suddenly become famous and become the subject of a scandal (his previous film, Sick of Myself, tells the story of a woman who made an impact on social networks after voluntarily distorting herself).

“I’m drawn to stubborn characters who live by unattainable principles at all costs. I believe that fiction allows us to explore the dark and dysfunctional aspects of modern life. There is a very human tendency to focus on the negative, on what we have. The lack, despite everything We have. We make ourselves miserable when we set imaginary expectations for ourselves.”The director from Oslo explains.

Touch reality

In 2018, Christopher Borgli read the story of a professor who lost his job, received significant financial compensation after a lawsuit, and became a representative of the so-called “cancellation culture”. “At the time, there were no words to describe what was happening to him, but I remember wondering how students would follow him around campus while he was still teaching and vandalize his car. “It was like an old Western with a human. Angry locals chase them out of town. I found the story very cinematic.”Trust Christopher Borgle.

The principal then noticed that other teachers had similar stories and that they all participated in podcasts to explain themselves: “There was often a very narcissistic and almost delusional tone among some of them who claimed to be stripped of the Nobel Prize or any academic recognition. I was mad at these guys. They all acted as if it was a ‘surprise.’ They were released on the grounds that they had done nothing wrong, as the crimes they were accused of were committed entirely by students. That’s how the idea started to take shape.”

“I have 3-4 more movies left”: Nicolas Cage will leave the cinema, but what will I do?

Nicolas Cage’s gaze

For his character’s appearance, Nicolas Cage wanted to give him what he describes as a certain “sloppiness”: an awkward and clumsy appearance. The actor specifies: Paul is dressed in straw and sober, and we put on glasses so he doesn’t look like me. We changed the nose a little to make it more discreet. The goal was to make Paul stand out so it would be easier. So that the public can follow his story without me seeing it.”

Christopher Borgle adds: Paul is a modern person who tries to be considerate, compassionate and open to everyone. She has spent her whole life being nice and at some point she realizes that she needs to be more confident if she wants to succeed. Nicolas Cage concludes, “When Paul gets angry, it doesn’t feel like a confrontation at all. If he’s neurotic, it’s because he couldn’t get it published.”

Rating 4.2 out of 5: This is one of Nicolas Cage’s best films and the sequel only gets brighter

Basic parameters

It was through producer Jacob Yafke that production designer Zosia McKenzie came into contact with the project. The two had already collaborated on Whit Stillman’s Damsels In Distress. The Matthews home, located in a leafy, upscale suburb, as well as the grounds of the university where Paul teaches, were central to the setting of the dream scenario. “In the film, we spend a lot of time in Paul’s house, and a person’s surroundings say a lot about his personality”– says Zosia Mackenzie.

The set design team explored a range of architectural styles during pre-production. They finally chose a traditional Georgian style house in neutral tones. This choice made it possible for the Mathews family to actually be anchored. “The architecture and design is neither too flashy nor too stylized, just an archetypal classic American home”explains Zosia McKenzie, who decorated the place with simple, comfortable furniture and hundreds of books to emphasize the academic roots of the Matthew family.