Dream Scenario Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer, And More Details
In recent years, Nicolas Cage — known for his, well, eccentric choices when it comes to film roles — has been kind of knocking it out of the park, whether he's poking fun at himself in projects like "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," trying his hand at action-horror with "Mandy," going dramatic in "Pig," or taking a fully Lovecraftian journey in "Color Out of Space." Now, he's working with A24 for the trippy new movie "Dream Scenario," which was the opening choice for a part of the Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF) known as the Platform Prize program.
So what is "Dream Scenario" about, and who's appearing in it alongside Cage? When will it have a wide release, and who's the creative team behind this ambitious film? Here's everything you need to know about Nicolas Cage's next big project, "Dream Scenario," which continues the actor's career renaissance and has already received rave reviews at TIFF to boot.
When will Dream Scenario be released?
After premiering at TIFF in early September, "Dream Scenario" will hit theaters as an A24 production on November 10, 2023, according to their official website.
So what did critics who attended TIFF think of Nicolas Cage's next starring turn? Candace Frederick at The Huffington Post praised the movie, writing, "A darkly funny, and often truthful, look at the rapid hysteria of our real-world cancel culture, Borgli's latest helps cement him as a provocative and wildly entertaining voice for our times." Peter Howell of the Toronto Star singled Cage out: "Kristoffer Borgli's dark social satire goes all in on its Twilight Zone premise, giving Cage one of the best roles of his career as he rages from comic to horrific, sometimes in the same moment." Over at The Atlantic, David Sims had some reservations, but still clearly enjoyed "Dream Scenario," saying, "Borgli loses some grip on whatever metaphor for fame he's exploring, but there are some hilarious (and terrifying) swerves along the way." Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico kept it concise: "It's undeniably enjoyable and sharp, a reminder that a great idea can go a long way."
What is the plot of Dream Scenario?
As those reviews might have indicated, "Dream Scenario" is... a pretty strange movie, but it's definitely one that allows Nicolas Cage to really have some fun with his role as Paul Matthews. Paul is simply living his life as a modest professor at Osler University when something extraordinarily odd starts happening — he starts showing up in the dreams of random people.
The fact that Paul is showing up unwarranted in the dreams of people from all walks of life — he doesn't do anything specific in these dreams, really, just simply exists — brings him a huge amount of attention, and before long, the people dreaming about him start showing up to meet him in droves. Paul was never published academically, so for him, this is a strange yet welcome blessing, as it makes him one of the most famous people on the planet. Obviously, there will be drawbacks to this whole situation, though ... but we won't be able to see just what those drawbacks are until the movie gets its wide release.
Who is starring in Dream Scenario?
Besides Nicolas Cage, "Dream Scenario" has a seriously stacked cast. Julianne Nicholson, recently seen in prestige drama shows like "Mare of Easttown" and the controversial film "Blonde," plays Paul's wife Janet Matthews, while "Barbie" and "Arrested Development" star Michael Cera also shows up as Trent, who runs a viral marketing firm that can help Paul achieve stardom. Cera is flanked by "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" standout Dylan Gelula, who plays Trent's assistant Molly. "Saturday Night Live" and "Mean Girls" alum Tim Meadows plays Brett, the dean of the fictional Osler University with Paul, and Dylan Baker — yes, Dr. Curt Connors from "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" — works alongside both Brett and Paul. Kate Berlant, who you might know from "Don't Worry Darling" or "I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson," is also on hand as a coworker of Trent's at the firm.
Netflix teen heartthrob Noah Centineo, "Succession" supporting player Nicholas Braun, and "Prey" and "Reservation Dogs" star Amber Midthunder also play supporting roles that haven't been revealed just yet, but Cage certainly has a great, hilarious group surrounding him in "Dream Scenario."
Who is directing, writing, and producing Dream Scenario?
The main brain behind "Dream Scenario" belongs to Kristoffer Borgli, a Norwegian director known for projects like 2022's "Sick of Myself" and short films like "Former Cult Member Hears Music for the First Time" and "Eer," released in 2020 and 2021, respectively. "Dream Scenario" is definitely Borgli's biggest project to date, but that probably has to do with the creative team working behind the Scandinavian director.
The main producers of "Dream Scenario" are two names familiar to indie horror and thriller aficionados at this point — Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen. Aster, of course, is a pioneer in the indie horror space as the mind behind favorites like "Hereditary," "Midsommar," and "Beau is Afraid." Knudsen, as Aster fans might know, works closely with the director, and has produced a handful of his films as well as ones like Robert Eggers' "The Witch" — and the two own a production company together, Square Peg, which teamed up with A24 to produce "Dream Scenario."
Is there a trailer for Dream Scenario?
If you weren't yet convinced that the idea of popping up in strangers' dreams isn't totally creepy yet, the trailer for "Dream Scenario" will convince you otherwise — especially because it opens in one girl's nightmare as she watches Paul just sort of wander around aimlessly amidst the destruction unfolding around them. As other people discuss Paul showing up in their own dreams, one describes him as a "remarkable nobody," which suits the schlubby, seemingly mild-mannered Paul perfectly.
"Why me? I don't know. I'm special, I guess," Paul says in one of his early interviews, clearly gaining some overblown confidence based purely on the fact that people are dreaming of him. (He also does a Freddy Krueger-themed photoshoot at one point, which, honestly, is really funny.) It all starts to take a sinister turn, though; as Tim Meadows' Brett says, "It feels like you're playing with fire here.
Once again, "Dream Scenario" hits theaters on November 10, 2023.
What is Dream Scenario rated?
Nicolas Cage has done his fair share of family films ("National Treasure," "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"), but he's starred in plenty of dark dramas for adults ("Mandy," "Leaving Las Vegas"). So which way will "Dream Scenario" go when it comes to its rating? Well, as the film is being produced by Ari Aster and getting released by A24, this shouldn't come as much of a shock. "Dream Scenario" will be rated R for "language, violence, and some sexual content."
Obviously, the whole movie revolves around dreams, so we expect some of them to be a bit risqué. In one scene during the film's official trailer, Nicolas Cage's character says to a young woman, "I hope I'm behaving through your dreams." Her response? "Oh no, you're not." So yeah, the dream sequences might get a bit frisky. They're also bound to get violent, as one scene from the trailer highlights Cage hitting someone in the head with a hammer, followed by a shot of Cage's back filled with arrows. Dreams are weird places, and it seems like "Dream Scenario" deserves its nightmarish R.