Nicolas Cage has a message for Warner Bros. executives: “I’m down for Egghead.” The Oscar winner is talking about playing the villain Egghead in a potential sequel to Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” which is quickly approaching the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office. Warner Bros. has yet to officially announce “The Batman” sequel, but Reeves and cast members like Robert Pattinson have all expressed a desire to make a follow-up movie. Cage told reporters at SXSW he’s interested in joining.
“We have this new [movie with] Robert Pattinson as ‘The Batman,’ which I’m excited to see. I haven’t seen it yet but I think he would be terrific.” Cage said (via IGN). “The villain that Vincent Price played on the 1960s show, Egghead, I think I want to have a go at Egghead. I think I can make him absolutely terrifying. And I have a concept for Egghead. So let them know over at Warner Bros., I’m down for Egghead.”
In the comic books, the bald-headed Egghead is a master criminal and one of the smartest people in the world. Considering how Reeves reimagined the Riddler with Paul Dano for “The Batman,” Cage’s call for a “terrifying” new spin on Egghead might be appealing for the director. “The Batman” franchise is currently set to expand with two spinoff HBO Max series, one set in Arkham Asylum and one centered on Penguin, played by Colin Farrell.
As for the potential “The Batman” sequel, Reeves told press at the film’s U.K. premiere, “You don’t make number one as if there’s going to be a number two. You have to make number one as if you’re swinging for the fences and it has to be a story that stands and lives on its own. But I really believe in what we’ve done and I’d be excited to tell more stories.”
“We are already telling other stories in the streaming space, we’re doing stuff on HBO Max, we’re doing a Penguin show with Colin, which is gonna be super cool.” the director added. “And we’re working on some other stuff too but we have started talking about another movie.”
“The Batman” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
