It is a slight travesty that the name Terry Zwigoff is not especially well-known in the film world. Art House Confidential, the director’s 2006 commercial and critical failure, is most certainly to blame, but this promising director is also responsible for 2001’s Ghost World and 2003’s Bad Santa. After a seven year hiatus, Zwigoff is getting back behind the camera with not one but two projects in the works.
Last month it was announced that SNL alum Fred Armisen would be starring in Zwigoff’s untitled comedy. This news came just after it was confirmed that Armisen had indeed left SNL. And though Armisen has had supporting roles in Easy A, Anchorman, and The Dictator, he has never had the opportunity to anchor his own movie. He is set to play lay Al Fishkin, a man placed under house arrest in his parent’s house for a crime that he didn’t commit. It should be noted that the backer of all of Spike Jonze’s films, Vincent Landay, will be producing, which offers a glimpse of the possible tone and style of this upcoming project. The film is co-written by Zwigoff and Melissa Axelrod, who served as Zwigoff’s assistant on Bad Santa.
Zwigoff and Axelrod have also teamed up for the indie drama Lost Melody, a film which is reported to star Nicolas Cage. The ever-busy actor may have a chance to recapture some of his Oscar-winner glory with this film as it touches upon Leaving Las Vegas territory. The plot centers around a man, trapped in his marriage to a shrewish wife, who falls in love with a prostitute. The film will be produced by Edward R. Pressman, who also produced Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans which starred Cage. It may have been Cage’s well-received performance in that film that made Pressman suggest the actor to Zwigoff.
A Cage comeback may be in the works. Opening August 23 is The Frozen Ground, John Cusack’s Alaskan thriller which features Cage as a serial killer. The actor will also play an unlikely role model for a 15-year-old boy in David Gordon Green’s upcoming drama Joe.
Leave a Comment