Summit Entertainment has provided USA Today with our first official look at Nicolas Cage in Alex Proyas‘ Knowing. Proyas gained critical acclaim for his 1998 sci-fi thriller Dark City (an essential of any true film geek), but I’ve been extremely unimpressed with his follow-up efforts (I, Robot and Garage Days). Knowing certainly sounds interesting, but then again, so did an adaptation of Asimov’s stories.
 The official plot synopsis follows: In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.
Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB MYLES. But it is Caleb’s father, professor TED MYLES (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document’s secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events-the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.
 This gripping supernatural thriller charts one man’s faltering steps towards belief in the ultimate order of the universe even as he finds himself surrounded by mounting chaos. With the reluctant help of DIANA WHELAN (Rose Byrne) and ABBY, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the cryptic prophecies, Ted’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster-and the ultimate sacrifice.
Knowing is set to hit theaters on March 20th 2009.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:57 am
If Nic’s hair is short = this movie has potential
If Nic’s hair is still long and nasty = epic movie fail
June 10th, 2008 at 3:11 am
Story concept sounds very cool, and I hope Proyas nails it. I loved The Crow and Dark City immensely.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:36 am
Hi, Pete! the plot reminds me some script Richard Kelly was working on years ago… Anyone else remember something about it?
Lalalááááá…
June 10th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Dear Peter ;)
I totally agree with your comment about “Knowing certainly sounds interesting, but then again, so did an adaptation of Asimov’s stories.”
I think that when you read Asimov’s book about the beggining of the robots and all…well…then you can say that “I, Robot” was more than acurate in almost everything…atmosphere, tone,…I agree with you …not one of my favorite movies as well… but I have to give credit to Proyas for having portrated very well the spirit of Asimov in the movie…I mean…all except Will Smith…oups!
haha ;)
Lots of Love
James
June 10th, 2008 at 5:21 am
I didn’t know cage was going to be in LOST.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:45 am
I’m on board for this one.
I also have to point out the subliminal message written on the side of the airplane behind him.
It reads: “Hair.”
Less is more, Nic, honestly.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:57 am
I actually liked I, Robot. It had it’s problems but I still think that it was a good movie. Kind of like I Am Legend had its moments, too.
Knowing sounds really cool. As much as there is hype for T4, Transformers 2, and other movies, I’m glad to see some news about something that actually has a lot of potential.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:35 am
LOL @ all the comments here.
This sounds like another typical disaster movie that’ll date quickly after 1-2 years.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:49 am
For some unknown reason no amount of ridiculousness can keep me from following Nicolas Cage’s career and I will see this lovely movie in theaters just like I saw Next and Ghost Rider and Wicker Man. But, actually, I bought The Wicker Man on DVD because it is priceless as a comedy and may, in fact, be funnier than most intentional comedies.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am
its hilarious because Garrett Russell is absolutely right.
If he has short hair he might look decent. If its still long and continues to make himself look like a complete idiot then the rest of the movie goes with it. Somebody shave his head.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Story sounds good, but I don’t know about Cage. He continues to just play a one dimensional character. Even the picture is a typical Cage stance, mouth open, Cage scream, etc. etc. I don’t think Cage has played a “character” in a long time. He’s just Cage doing Cage on film. It kinda gets old. Lucky for him, some of those Cage on Cage movies have had great stories. This could be another one of those. He’s lucky in that sense I suppose.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Five dollars says the “ultimate sacrifice” he has to make at the end is dying to save his son.
June 10th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Sounds like a good plot… but it sounds like a dozen other plots that already been done. It’s just repackaged in a new fancy wrapper.
I’m still waiting for the writer’s (who were on strike) to get back to more original ideas. I refuse to admit that its ALL been done before!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I never thought I would describe a photograph as “overacted”, but………….
June 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The BEST acting job Cage has ever given us was in “Peggy Sue Got Married.”
Rent it. I demand it be released in widescreen!
June 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Cage has pretty much become the male equivalent of Sandra Bullock: starring in movies are instantly forgettable — essentially disposable.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
The hair, oh god the hair…
June 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
As an Asimov fan, I’m goin gto have to disagree with James about I, Robot. Alex Proyas lost control of that film the second Will Smith signed on. I hope he never makes that mistake again. There’s some nice design work in I, Robot, but the tone was as far from Asimov as I could ever take. The Marco Beltrami score was excellent.
Cage has some great performances in him and I think Matchstick Men and Lord of War show that. The Knowledge story doesn’t sound all new, but if Proyas can deliver an atmosphere that is paranoid and vulnerable, I think this has potential. Waht I’d really like to see is a return of the shot composition that is so beautiful in Dark City. Every shot of that film looks like it was loved.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Err does this reek of Bible Code: The movie?
June 21st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
A couple of links to 13 more pictures of the filming here:
http://www.theage.com.au/photogallery/2008/06/22/1214009181700.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/gallery/0,22010,5032576-5006020,00.html
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:07 am
Hi I am a actor and producer etc.
Yes its not new at all, I have also stared in it the knowing world end.
I seen what was on the set.
I think that Nick cage is a good actor, but he needs to change his charter when it comes to different films etc.
Anyhow My feature film will be done and completed next year so look out for it starring me.
Anyhow take care out there.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:34 am
Hi guys and girls out there again.
Yes like i said i have work across with nick cage on the knowing.
he seem to be like him self, which that’s good in a way.
but he needs to change his voice and charter when playing different roles in films.
So he has been in this field for over 15 years now so, I think he should know better.
But like most films its like watch TV issue they need to be real as real.
most all the script writer’s in the world but most in the USA need to change their story lines and get a good film out there, because if they don”t then its going to be a long hall to get back the people who watch films again.
Thanks all
Vincent Amorosi
Actor/script writer.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Perhaps you would like the prequell. Perhaps you would like the sequell. Perhaps there is not sufficient time available to do both so perhaps we should focus on the present. Perhaps you would like the real numbers story as it is happening rather than a story that was buried in 1962 if it was a real story to begin with. And what is the meaning of the number 62. Why did an aircraft recently crash with 88 fatalities just 24 days following another disaster which claimed 153 lives, that disaster taking place on the 20 th day of August or on the 12 th day of the Olympic Games. Why did an earthquake take place in the country of the Olympic Games Just 88 days before 08 08 08. Why was there 124 days lapsed between these 2 events. Why are all of these events in a very straight equator type line around the planet.
If you mark the place of the largest single airline disaster which took place in Teneriffe in 1977, it appears along that same line.
If you also mark the place of the ferry disaster ealier this year it also appears along the same line.
It just so happens that the “particle accelerator” tunnel appears along this same line, interesting isn’t it.
There have also been a number of other significant disasters which have taken place in recent time along this same line.
The numbers phenomenon is not a story, it is happening in real time right now. There were 6 disasters in 12 days from the 20 of august and a further 2 disasters 12 days later. 3 of these were small domestic disasters within Australia so not available in world news.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:03 am
So what about the 62? Numbers have a strong relationship to their mirror image. For example why did Marilyn Monroe have to die so young. Marilyn was born in 1926 and died in 1962. Why to did Hendriks Joplin and Morrison die so young, Kurt Cobain and even John F Kennedy. Their lives were all used to create a numerical message to the future.
So why 26? There is a very persistent 20-12, 12-6, 12-26 interaction happening at present. If you care to look in the Apoculypse section of the bible, Chapter 12 verse 6 you will find a very interesting number written. If you choose to also check Chapter 11 verse 3 of the same book you will find the same number written again. Precisely 33 years prior to the disaster of the 20 08 08 on the 20 08 75, there was an interesting disaster with 126 fatalities at a place called Damascus. Those of you who know a little about the bible might also know the biblical relationship to Damascus. If you proceed to combine the incident on the road to Damascus with chapter 12 of the Apoculypse you may begin to divine some intuition about the numbers and knowing.