Nicolas Cage Wants To Play Egghead Opposite Robert Pattinson's Batman
In today's section of "please, for the love of all things holy, make it happen," Nicolas Cage wants to play the villain Egghead opposite Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader in "The Batman" sequel. In an interview with FOX 7 Austin during the SXSW premiere of "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," Cage revealed that he would love to play Egghead in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" sequel in a way that's "absolutely terrifying" (!), having already mapped a concept for playing the eccentric villain.
Check out the interview here, replete with the absolutely delightful way in which Cage pronounces "Egghead."
'Crimefighting is an egg-spensive hobby'
Portrayed by Vincent Price, Egghead was a villain exclusively created for the 1966 "Batman" television series, which is considered a camp classic. Deemed as a criminal genius due to his formidable intellect, Egghead was one of the first Batman villains to have deduced the masked hero's true identity. This conclusion is arrived at after Egghead realizes that being a Gotham vigilante must be an "egg-spensive" hobby, which helps him narrow his suspects down greatly. The egg motif is obviously an integral part of his persona, slipping into his speech patterns (every egg-related pun you can think of) and even his weapons (he had constructed a memory "egg-straction" machine in the series).
Between Pattinson's favorite Batman villain being a hot sauce and mustard-wielding Condiment King, and Cage's declaration that he would love to bring Egghead to life in Reeves' sequel, the possibilities (however improbable) are too delicious to not delve into. Cage's acting roles have been vast and diverse, having starred in 100-plus films of varying shades, and played roles that were the right amount of unhinged. Cage, of course, is incredibly capable of giving serious, thoughtful performances, as evidenced by his performance in the acclaimed "Pig" and Panos Cosmatos' heavy metal valentine, "Mandy."
As Egghead as a character can be deemed dangerous with the right amount of menace and camp, Cage is one of the top contenders for pulling such a stunt off. While almost all of Egghead's weapons are somewhat silly in nature (at least when compared to Batman's chief rogues), there lies a hint of twisted menace in the use of a Laughing Gas Egg, or a Tear Gas Egg harnessed from hens that were fed nothing but onions. The latter would most definitely make Pattinson's Batman (or anyone, for that matter) cry uncontrollably.
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" will be released in theaters on April 22, 2022.
Matt Reeves' "The Batman" is currently playing in theaters.