Nicolas Cage Is The Wrestler

Nicolas Cage is in talks to star in The Wrestler, written by Robert Siegel. The film, which is in development at Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures, follows a 1980s-era pro wrestling star named Randy "The Ram" Robinson who has become a burnt-out shell of his former self. Ram has a heart attack in a small-time match, and his doctor warns him that if he ever fights again, he would be risking his own life.

In an effort to build a new life, Robinson takes a job at a deli, moves in with an aging stripper and tries to build a relationship with her son. But the prospect of a rematch with his old nemesis the Ayatollah proves too tempting to resist, even if it means risking his life.

Cage has yet to sign a contract, and it is unknown if Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain helmer Darren Aronofsky will personally direct this project, or sit on the sidelines and produce. Aronofsky is hard at work on a pre-strike film for Paramount called The Fighter, which stars Mark Wahlberg as boxer "Irish" Micky Ward in the mid-80's. So I do find it a bit strange that Aronofsky would be making two films inside the squared circle.

Long before I ever thought of becoming a movie blogger (or knew what a "blogger" was), I ran a popular pro wrestling news website called WrestleNet. In the late-90's, wrestling was back in style (or at least as far as it was going to get), and I found the behind the scenes dealings to be insanely interesting. I haven't watched "sports entertainment" in years, and no longer have the craving while I come across the USA Network while channel flipping. Although I do firmly believe that Hogan Knows Best on VH1 is one of the best reality shows on television.

Most wrestling movies out there (No Holds Barred and Ready to Rumble quickly come to mind) treat the business and its fans with such disrespect. I would also like to recommend two great documentaries which show you the real side of pro wrestling: Barry W. Blaustein's Beyond the Mat and Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. I highly recommend both of these documentaries, even if you (and especially is you) haven't ever been a pro wrestling fan. Both of the docs show the real life gritty behind the scenes world of pro wrestling, which I'm sure you too will find fascinating. But my point is this: There is a whole unexplored world behind the scenes, and I hope that someone will write a good film set in that world.

source: HollywoodReporter