Nicolas Cage comes out in defense of The Wicker Man remake, saying the film was an intentional comedy and describes his original vision. Based on both Robin Hardy's 1973 film of the same name and its source novel Ritual, the folk horror revolves around police officer Edward Malus being asked by his ex-fiancée Willow to investigate the disappearance of her daughter Rowan. Edward heads to an island off the coast of Washington State where Willow and Rowan live and she was last seen, where he discovers the island to be home to a group of neo-pagan people and begins to suspect their involvement in the girl's disappearance.

Alongside Cage, the cast for The Wicker Man included Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Leelee Sobieski, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Diane Delano, Mary Black, Christine Willes and Erika Shaye Gair. Hitting theaters in late 2006, the remake scored largely negative reviews from critics and audiences alike and was a box office bomb, grossing only $39 million against its reported $40 million production budget. In the years since, The Wicker Man has become somewhat of a cult hit and internet meme for its unintentional hilarity, though it appears this tone may not have been as unplanned as it was criticized for.

Related: The Wicker Man: Biggest Differences Between The Original & Remake

While talking with IndieWire for his upcoming film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage reflected on the legacy of The Wicker Man remake. The star pointed out criticisms that the film was unintentionally funny, revealing he and writer/director Neil LaBute made it as an intentional comedy and shared his original vision for the film. See what Cage revealed below:

"I know people had fun with that even if they thought the comedy was not intentional. I’m going on record right now: That is not a fact. Neil [LaBute] and I both knew how funny it was. It probably would've been more clear how funny it was if [producer] Avi Lerner let me have the handlebar mustache that I wanted to wear and be burned in the bear suit. That would’ve been so horrifying, but they didn’t go for that because all the comedy would’ve emerged from this horror. But Ari Aster did it brilliantly in Midsommar. That was terrifying, but they didn’t have the vision that Neil and I had for it."

Nic Cage covered with bees in The Wicker Man.

Cage's comments about The Wicker Man come at an interesting point in his career. After leading a number of thoroughly panned video-on-demand projects, Cage has recently enjoyed a return to more critically favored titles with the crime drama Pig and horror action-comedy Willy's Wonderland. It also comes as Cage is already scoring rave reviews for his work as a fictionalized version of himself in the new The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which itself pokes fun at his career and its various ups and downs, including a reference to The Wicker Man's infamous bee torture scene.

Though Cage says he and LaBute made The Wicker Man as an intentional comedy, some may take this with a grain of salt. It wouldn't be the first time an actor or filmmaker has tried to go back on their projects and say they were in on the laugh the whole time, with Tommy Wiseau having said he made The Room as an intentional comedy in the years since it was lambasted by critics and became a midnight cult hit. Regardless of whether Cage and LaBute were in on the joke or not, The Wicker Man will live on as a fan-favorite for its hilarity.

More: Every Nicolas Cage Horror Movie, Ranked

Source: IndieWire