NERD INITIATIVE

New York Comic Con 2026 (NYCC) welcomed tons of fans to geek out this past weekend, and one of the amazing celebrity panels that occurred focused on the one and only, Nicolas Cage. A household name in movies, Cage sat down and answered all sorts of questions about many of his movies over the years, as well as some about his recent Marvel series on Prime Video, Spider-Noir. While many panels at NYCC are filled with announcements of upcoming films, shows, or comics, this one was all fun, with one big announcement.

Spider-Noir & Comics

While Nicolas Cage is a movie star, he recently hit the small screen over on Prime Video as the star of Spider-Noir, playing Ben Reilly. He said he wanted that show to really have a focus on the detective story of it all, and show that 1930s style. Watching old movies helped Ben to lean more to his human side as opposed to his new arachnid tendencies. Cage said that was not in the original script, but he felt that was why Ben talked like he was in an old movie. Sadly, Prime Video asked him to sign an AI waiver. Cage refused saying he was not an AI friendly actor, so he most likely won’t be working with them again. While it had already been announced we weren’t getting a season 2 of Spider-Noir, rather or not this played into it, he didn’t say.

Here at Nerd Initiative, we too believe AI does not belong in art, and that includes films and television.

Ben Reilly and Ghost Rider are not Cage’s only connections to comic books. He himself is a fan, and has been for years. He mentioned he was drawn to the classic Monsters and Ghost Rider as a kid because he didn’t know how something so scary, could still do good. When asked which of his characters he would call for help, he responded with Ghost Rider. When asked if his love of comics has influenced him at all Cage immediately gave the interviewer Victor Dandridge, a shout out praising his comic, The Trouble W/ Love. Cage then went on to say that in film, you hear the actor’s voice, and in books you hear your own voice. Meanwhile, in comics you hear both, which helps build imagination, which he hinted has helped influence him.

A Big Announcement & Some Movie Fun Facts

While this panel was not about announcements Cage did drop that will be doing a season of True Detective. He mentioned he probably shouldn’t announce it, but he was unphased when he did, because he’s Nicolas Cage: an icon, and huge movie star.

Speaking of movie star, many of his movies were quickly mentioned with fun facts galore. Cage says one of the most ridiculous lines he’s ever spoken in a movie is, “I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence.” When asked if there was something he didn’t get why people loved so much, he mentioned the scene in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent where he and Pedro Pascal stare at each other in the car. In my personal opinion that scene going viral was one of the best things that ever happened to social media. Cage also wanted to clarify that the Nicolas Cage in that movie, is not him! He especially emphasized that in real life he loves hanging out with his daughter.

Some other fun facts were that if he had to pick a character he would never want to live next to, it would be Castor Troy from Face/Off. He also mentioned he would sometimes forget who he was playing in that movie, as he went back and forth. Fortunately, it all worked out well. Cage also mentioned he regrets never golfing with Sean Connery, his co-star in The Rock. He’s since passed, but they were friends, and he wishes he had taken him up on the offer to golf when he could. Cage was then asked what was his favorite Connery Bond film was. He quickly responded with Goldfinger.

Upcoming Projects

In addition to True Detective, Cage mentioned a couple other projects that are not out yet. One is the movie Parish. The IMDB description reads: “Three decades after civilization’s collapse, a reclusive survivor sheltering in a fortified compound faces predatory threats. When a woman with a baby seeks sanctuary, he must decide between his rigid survival code and compassion.” Cage was asked if there is a specific art form that has helped him unlock a character. He said he recently had a dream about protecting a baby when a group of women were trying to lure him to them. This dream helped him find the character he is playing in Parish. There is no set date for this movie yet.

Another upcoming movie he mentioned was The Prince. The IMDB description for this one says, “A satirical drama exploring the life of a troubled son within a powerful American dynasty.” Cage mentioned he was insistent he do some crazy hand gestures (which only Nic Cage can do). While, the director was hesitant, Cage did not back down. He said we’ll all see it will work. That movie also has no set date yet.

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What’s your favorite Nicolas Cage movie? Let us know in the comments.