The World Dreams Of Nicolas Cage In A24's Dream Scenario Trailer; Could Be 2023's Being John Malkovich

Have you been dreaming of Nicolas Cage? That's the question that Kristoffer Borgli's R-rated dark comedy "Dream Scenario" is asking. Cage plays a hapless, unassuming educator named Paul Matthews who might as well be the image next to the dictionary definition of "average, middle-aged white man." He wears sensible sweaters over collared shirts, there's a bit more salt than pepper in his beard, and his hairline hasn't been visible from the front for many, many years.

And yet, millions of strangers from all across the globe are starting to see him in their dreams. Sometimes he's a hero. Sometimes he's a bystander in the crowd. Paul's newfound stardom was exciting at first, but now he has to reckon with the reality that his presence is unwelcome and deeply traumatizing for countless people. Because sometimes, Paul is an absolute nightmare, invading people's dreams as if Freddy Krueger were a suburban dad.

If this premise sounds familiar, it might be because you're familiar with "This Man," a viral phenomenon where people from all over the world claimed to have seen one specific, extremely average man's face in their dreams. The entire thing was a hoax orchestrated by Italian sociologist Andrea Natella, but people became so fixated about whether or not they had dreamed of this man, that many reported sincerely seeing him in their dreams after the fact. The idea was even tossed around as the subject of a horror film by "The Strangers" scribe Bryan Bertino, but nothing ever became of it. Borgli's film may not be directly tackling "This Man," but it certainly looks like he's investigating what would happen if the phenomenon were not only real, but based on one man.