For Americans in Hollywood, the Australian accent is notoriously hard to pin down. There are a few who can get away with it (see Robert Downey Jr in Natural Born Killers and Tropic Thunder) and then there are those who make us wince with every syllable (Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained). One icon we’ve never seen attempt the Strine drawl is Academy Award winner and Man of Many favourite Nicolas Cage. Happily, that might be about to change with Stan revealing a first look (above) at the Hollywood superstar in his new movie, The Surfer, which is set in Western Australia and we’re hoping sees Nic Cage transform into a regular Nick Cummins.
According to Stan, The Surfer is a psychological thriller that follows a man (Cage) as he returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the US. Upon his arrival, he’s humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates he’s brought right to the edge of his sanity and his entire identity is thrown into question.
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Watching a character slowly lose his mind is classic Cage fare and we can’t wait to see him do so with one of Western Australia’s stunning beaches as the backdrop. While production has already wrapped, there’s no word yet as to whether Cage indeed tried sounding like a local, but if it turns out that he did, well, that would make The Surfer our must-see film of 2024.
Cage will certainly have been surrounded by enough help to get that accent over the line, as the cast is packed with some impressive local talent. This includes Miranda Tapsell from The Dry and The Sapphires; Nicholas Cassim, who appeared in the outstanding Mr Inbetween; Nina Young, who’s shown up in everything from Tomorrow Never Dies to the first Harry Potter outing; and Animal Kingdom’s Justin Rosniak, who last appeared in Wolf Like Me and Last King of the Cross.
Plus, we suspect (or perhaps hope is the more appropriate word) that Cage may have even picked up some colourful lingo from nearby residents during production, as at the time he was spotted mixing with locals while out grocery shopping in the Margaret River region.
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Either way, Cage has been going through something of a purple patch lately, with films like Pig, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and Dream Scenario suggesting he’s jettisoned his say-yes-to-everything approach to roles in favour of something more discerning. Here’s hoping this latest effort continues that trend.
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium and Nocebo) and written by Thomas Martin (Tin Star and Ripper Street), The Surfer’s release date is yet to be announced. However, despite being a Stan Original Production, with Cage front and centre it will definitely be seeing a theatrical release before landing on the Aussie streaming service. And if that accent is ever confirmed, we’ll be rushing to our local cinema to take in the majesty of Aussie Nic Cage as soon as possible.
