Nicolas Cage is willing to join Robert Pattinson's The Batman universe as there is an obscure DC Comics villain from the 1960s that he wants to play. After over a year delay, Matt Reeves' Batman reboot has finally arrived in theatres, featuring Pattinson as the latest cinematic incarnation of the Dark Knight. The reimagination follows Bruce Wayne as Gotham City's vengeance-driven crime-fighter. Despite it focusing on a younger Bruce, The Batman isn't a traditional origin story, as it's set during his second year.
While taking place outside the DCEU, The Batman is the first chapter in a new universe that Warner Bros. is investing a lot of energy and resources into already. Not only is there a plan for a trilogy, with the first film already being close to hitting $500 million dollars at the worldwide box office, but the studio is fleshing out the franchise onto HBO Max. With Reeves overseeing as executive producer, the filmmaker is developing a number of spinoffs that are set in The Batman universe. One of them that is already moving forward is The Penguin, with Colin Farrell set to reprise the role of Oswald Cobblepot.
Even though a sequel to The Batman hasn't been formally announced yet, a Hollywood icon is already expressing interest to board the new franchise. In a new interview with Fox 7 Austin at SXSW 2022, Cage, who is no stranger to comic book movies, was asked if there is any role that he hasn't played that is on his bucket list. While the question was open for any genre that interests him, Cage quickly brought up his desire to join The Batman universe. Cage, who has yet to see the film, shared that he's been toying around how he would portray the DC Comics villain, Egghead, stating the following:
"Here's something, I've been thinking about this, because we have this new, Robert Pattinson as the Batman, which I haven't seen it yet, but I think he would be terrific, the villain that Vincent Price played on the '60s show, Egghead. I think I want to have a go at Egghead. I think I could make him absolutely terrifying. And I have a concept for Egghead. So let them know over at Warner Bros. I'm down for Egghead."
Most Batman and comic book fans are likely not familiar with Egghead, which makes sense as he's an incredible obscure villain. Edgar Head, a.k.a. Egghead, was an original creation for Adam West's Batman '66 series, where he was portrayed by Vincent Price. As the name alludes to it, Egghead had an obsession with eggs while viewing himself as a mastermind. Even though Egghead made his way to the comics, he's not someone that is regularly a part of any DC books. Despite not having a significant role in comics, Egghead has appeared in animation through the Batman '66 films and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
As ridiculous as the original Egghead might be, he was a product of the 1960s, and the Batman '66 series was targeted towards a younger demographic. Even if The Batman 2 were to include Egghead, Cage would have to have quite the compelling pitch that could truly reimagine the super-villain. Whether he'd get to play Egghead or not, Cage being in The Batman franchise would be exciting. Since Cage was originally going to play Superman in Tim Burton's scrapped '90s project, having the former Ghost Rider actor join future installments of The Batman would finally give him a shot to be in a DC live-action property. Hopefully, Matt Reeves is paying attention to Cage's recent comments as The Batman franchise goes forward in coming years.
Source: FOX 7 Austin
