Nicolas Cage‘s oddity renaissance will continue on Paramount+. Highfire, a new series based on Eoin Colfer‘s novel of the same name, has officially moved from it’s originally announced home on Amazon Prime. The live-action adaptation is being described as “True Detective-meets-Pete’s Dragon“, and is set to star Cage as Lord Highfire, a once-mighty dragon who now lives in a shack in the swamps of Louisiana. Going by “Vern”, the beast spends it’s days as an alcohlic, drinking massive amounts of vodka and watching Flashdance on cable television. It’s not until Highfire meets Squib, a human teenager smuggling booze for the local mob, that he’s forced into another life-altering adventure.
Highfire, a “gritty crime drama with doses of magical realism“, is only the latest in a recent string of high concept projects from Cage. The actor, whose image has become synonymous with over-the-top performances, has spent the past few years pumping out well-received indie flicks like Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Next on his list are Renfield, in which he will appear as Count Dracula, and two separate Westerns, Butcher’s Crossing and The Old Way. The upcoming job with Paramount+ will be his first leading television role, after a previous attempt at bringing Joe Exotic to life at Amazon failed to materialize. Highfire will be adapted by Davey Holmes, the creator of Get Shorty on Epix, and will be produced by MGM. The project has been in development since 2020, when it was initially revealed by Deadline.
Source: Deadline
