Nicolas Cage Wants to Play Pontius Pilate in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Musical
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Nicolas Cage wants to play Pontius Pilate in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
During the red carpet at the Golden Globes, Cage was asked by Variety‘s Marc Malkin about a genre that he wants to work in. He replied, “Musical. I have not done a musical.”
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“I do think I could make a good Pontius Pilate in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,'” Cage admitted.
However, he was reluctant to provide audiences with a glimpse of what they might see of him in the role, declining to sing.
A rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, “Jesus Christ Superstar” tells the story of Christ’s last days. It specifically depicts the key events of the Passion such as Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus, Jesus’s trial and Jesus’s crucifixion.
In the musical, Pontius Pilate is the governor of the Roman province of Judea and has Jesus flogged to appease a mob demanding for Jesus’s crucifixion. Pilate eventually relents to pressures from the crowd and has Jesus crucified. The role of Pilate has a major singing solo in “Pilate’s’ Dream” and singing parts in “Pilate and Christ” and “Trial Before Pilate.” In the 1971 original Broadway cast, the role of Pontius Pilate was played by Barry Dennen, who later reprised the role in the 1973 film adaptation.
Cage most recently appeared in Kristoffer Borgli’s black comedy “Dream Scenario,” released last November,” as biology professor Paul Matthews, who begins to become the subject of dreams for strangers around the world. He is set to star in upcoming thrillers “Longlegs,” “Arcadian” and “The Surfer.”
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