Nic Cage is set to voice a vodka-drinking dragon in a new streaming series that has reportedly moved to Paramount+. According to Deadline, the “True Detective-meets-Pete’s Dragon project” was initially in development over at Amazon Prime Video, but is now said to have switched streamers. Those interested in trying out a free trial of Paramount+ can do so by clicking here.
The new show is titled Hellfire and is based on an adult thriller novel by author Eoin Colfer. It’s being adapted for television by Davey Holmes, who also created the Get Shorty TV series for Epix, and MGM is currently the producing studio. Additionally, Holmes and Cage will be executive producers, alongside Andrew Mittman of 1.21 via his exclusive MGM production deal. If the series does ever manifest, it will mark Cage’s first time as a main cast member on a TV series. At this time, Paramount+ has reportedly declined to comment on the Hellfire report.
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A synopsis of the series reads: “Once upon a time, dragons ruled the earth and Lord Highfire ruled the dragons from his eyrie. But this is not once upon a time, this is now, and now all Lord Highfire rules is his shack in Louisiana’s Honey Island Swamp. Highfire has become plain old ‘Vern’ and, by day, he hides out among the alligators, watches cable-TV and drinks obscene amounts of vodka to pass the time. It isn’t much of a life but he’s alive to live it, and Vern is prepared do whatever it takes – even if its violent – to preserve his own hide. When Vern’s world collides with a human teen named Squib, who becomes mixed up in some trouble while running booze for the local mob, their mutual struggle for survival becomes entangled in the most unlikely of friendships.”
Most recently, Cage starred in the hit film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The movie is an action-comedy directed by Tom Gormican, from a script he co-wrote with Kevin Etten. In it, Cage plays a fictional version of himself who “begrudgingly accepts a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a Mexican billionaire superfan,” played by Pedro Pascal. However, “things take a wild turn,” and Cage “is forced to become a version of some of his most iconic and beloved characters in order to extricate his wife and daughter from the fan who is a notorious drug lord.”
The film also stars a number of other big names, including Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sharon Horgan. The film was released back in April to critical and fan acclaim. Fans can now bring the movie home on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. The home video release offers fans tons of great bonus features — including behind-the-scenes featurettes and cast interviews — as well as some deleted scenes and audio commentary by Gormican and Etten.
