Of Course 'Mandy' Director Panos Cosmatos Will Work With Nicolas Cage Again

Mandy was the acid-trip surprise of 2018, featuring eye-popping visuals and one of Nicolas Cage's best performances in years. So will Mandy director Panos Cosmatos reunite with Nic Cage for another movie? You better believe it. Cosmatos says he and Cage have already begun talking about working together again, and while it may or may not be a Mandy sequel, that's still exciting.

Panos Cosmatos has only directed two films in the last eight years, but both have made quite an impact. The first was the weird, stylish Beyond the Black Rainbow, which found itself a meager cult following almost immediately. Cosmatos returned this year with Mandy, a movie that got much more attention, primarily due to hype, marketing, and one killer performance from Nicolas Cage. Cage has worked steadily for years (very steadily, in fact), but his work with Cosmatos earned him some of the highest acclaim in a very long time. If you were hoping for more Cosmatos/Cage action (and I know I am), you're in luck.

Speaking with THR, Cosmatos said he would "absolutely" work with Cage again, adding: "We've talked. I know we would like to work with each other again." Cosmatos also had very nice things to say about Cage and his unconventional acting process:

"We had long conversations where we formulated the progression of his character from scene to scene to scene. He starts off as this sort of normal, if a little bit tortured, man. And then after what happens to Mandy, he kind of becomes like an animal creature. And in the third act he takes the character and he modifies it into a sort of a demigod of wrath who is enacting revenge on the mortal plain, like a sort of golem, or something, a golem....So, yeah, I found him to be an incredibly thoughtful and methodical actor, and he's capable of going through these more expressionistic realms."

As for what film Cosmatos and Cage might reunite for, that's still up in the air. The director has talked in the past about a potential Mandy sequel, telling IndieWire: "I imagined a sequel that took place with [Cage's Character] Red Miller fighting Nazi punks in a bombed-out city...I don't know if that would ever happen, but it's a fun thought."

It is a fun thought indeed. And yet, a part of me wants Cosmatos and Cage to make something new. I feel Mandy should stand on its own, and not bother with a sequel. Instead, the director-actor team should embark on a whole new twisted, wild journey. No matter what they decide to do, though, I'll be happy to watch it.

Mandy is currently streaming on Shudder. If you haven't seen it yet, rectify that immediately.