I sure do love it when a new Nicolas Cage movie comes out – sincerely – and I was pleasantly surprised tonight to find that IGN had posted a teaser of an upcoming Cage release, Season of the Witch. (Which has nothing to do with Halloween, but so much to do with Nic Cage on a horse.) Thinking the name seemed familiar, I delved back into my computer’s archives and realized I had actually read this script, written by Bragi Schut, and done coverage on it over three goddamn years ago. The movie is set in the 14th century, where a group of men led by a knight of dubious faith must transport the witch seemingly responsible for the Black Plague. The movie’s due out March 19, 2010 from Lionsgate. Check the trailer.

From what I read on my notes, I liked the premise, setting, and details of Season of the Witch, but didn’t like the treatment of the girl, for reasons of cliches I don’t feel like harping on. Since this was three years ago, I’m positive things have changed – based off the IMDB, characters’ names definitely have, for example – so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the final version, especially because the trailer is staying mum.

The film’s official synopsis states:

In the supernatural thriller Season of the Witch, Nicolas Cage stars as a 14th century Crusader who returns with his comrade (Ron Perlman) to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch (Claire Foy) to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence.

A priest (Stephen Campbell Moore), a grieving knight (Ulrich Thomsen), an itinerant swindler (Stephen Graham) and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight (Robert Sheehan) join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl.

When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardizes the knight’s pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force.

I like the casting of Ron Perlman and Ulrich Thomsen. Perlman should be able to bring levity to Cage, and I saw some of Thomsen’s work when he shot Tell-Tale here in Rhode Island, and he has a heavy presence. As for Cage? He’s an unpredictable madman. It’s always welcome.

Tags: Nicolas Cage, Season of the Witch

This entry was posted by fallon on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 8:56 pm and is filed under News, Trailer-Pit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.