Christopher Nolan is already taking heat over The Odyssey, and now Nicolas Cage has added another interesting Hollywood wrinkle involving the director.
While speaking with The New York Times about playing John Madden in David O. Russell’s upcoming Madden movie, Cage said most directors don’t call him back after he turns down one of their movies.
Cage named Nolan as one of them.
Nicolas Cage Says Directors Get Their Feelings Hurt
Cage said David O. Russell once offered him a movie “a million years ago,” but Cage passed on it.
Russell later came back and offered him Madden, which surprised Cage because, according to Cage, most directors do not handle rejection that way.
“Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back,” Cage said.
Cage then named Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
“It’s happened a million times to me,” Cage said. “It’s happened with Christopher Nolan, it’s happened with Woody Allen, it’s happened with Paul Thomas Anderson. They don’t call me back.”
Cage Says Nolan Offered Him Insomnia
When asked which Nolan movie he had been offered, Cage said it was Insomnia.
Nolan’s 2002 thriller starred Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. Cage did not say which role Nolan offered him, but the reveal is notable because Insomnia came after Memento and before Nolan moved into Batman Begins and The Dark Knight trilogy.
Cage also said Paul Thomas Anderson showed him an early short film with Philip Baker Hall, who starred in Hard Eight. Cage said they were going to do something together, but it did not work out.
The Comment Comes As Nolan Faces The Odyssey Backlash
The timing is interesting because Nolan is already dealing with backlash surrounding The Odyssey.
Lupita Nyong’o has faced criticism over her casting as Helen of Troy, including from Elon Musk, who has criticized Nolan’s casting choices online.
Nyong’o later responded by saying The Odyssey is “a mythological story” and that she is not spending her time defending the decision.
Nyong’o has also faced fresh criticism after resurfaced Black Panther comments were used against her by critics who accused her of a double standard on cultural representation.
Nolan’s film has also drawn attention for casting Travis Scott as a bard, with Nolan explaining that he wanted to nod toward the oral poetry tradition of The Odyssey and compared it to rap.
Now Cage’s comments add a different kind of Nolan headline, one that has nothing to do with mythology but does put the director back in the conversation.
Madden premieres November 26, 2026, on Prime Video.
