Ari Aster has made a name for himself directing ‘messed up’ horror movies Hereditary (starring Toni Collette) and Midsommar (starring Florence Pugh) for A24. His next movie, set for release in 2023, is Disappointment Blvd. starring Joaquin Phoenix. Aster also has his next project as producer lined up – a comedy movie called Dream Scenario. And Nicolas Cage has just climbed aboard the Aster train.
Dream Scenario will be written and directed by the Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli, and produced by Square Peg, the production company founded by Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster. Not much is known about the film at this stage.
Nicolas Cage has had a career revival in recent years, which was kickstarted by horror movie Mandy in 2018. Since then, he’s appeared in Color out of Space (2019), Pig (2021), and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). Both Mandy and Color out of Space were for Elijah Wood’s production company SpectreVision. Cage’s upcoming projects include Western Butcher’s Crossing (which will premiere at TIFF), and Renfield – a comedy movie in which he plays Dracula.
Borgli’s feature film debut Sick of Myself played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May.
A24’s comedy movies have all had a substantial dark and twisted quality to them – from the likes of The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers released in the company’s first year – 2013. More recently, there have been black comedies such as The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems, Zola, and Red Rocket. A24 have had their biggest hit this year with Everything, Everywhere, All at Once – which is the first of their movies to reach the $100 million box office benchmark.
Many people are hoping that Everything, Everywhere will gain Oscar traction – at the very least, for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
While we wait to find out more about Dream Scenario, check out our guide to the best A24 movies.