Nicolas Cage comes out in defense of The Wicker Man remake, saying the film was an intentional comedy and describes his original vision. Based on both Robin Hardy's 1973 film of the same name and its source novel Ritual, the folk horror revolves around police officer Edward Malus being asked by his ex-fiancée Willow to investigate the disappearance of her daughter Rowan.
Alongside Cage, the cast for The Wicker Man included Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Leelee Sobieski, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Diane Delano, Mary Black, Christine Willes and Erika Shaye Gair. Hitting theaters in late 2006, the remake scored largely negative reviews from critics and audiences alike and was a box office bomb, grossing only $39 million against its reported $40 million production budget.
"I know people had fun with that even if they thought the comedy was not intentional. I’m going on record right now: That is not a fact. Neil [LaBute] and I both knew how funny it was. It probably would've been more clear how funny it was if [producer] Avi Lerner let me have the handlebar mustache that I wanted to wear and be burned in the bear suit. That would’ve been so horrifying, but they didn’t go for that because all the comedy would’ve emerged from this horror.
Cage's discussion of The Wicker Man being an intentional comedy on the part of he and writer/director Neil LaBute knowing the film's problems during production comes at an interesting point in his career. After leading a number of thoroughly panned VOD projects, Cage has recently enjoyed a return to more critically favored titles with the crime drama Pig and horror action-comedy Willy's Wonderland.
Though Cage says he and LaBute made The Wicker Man as an intentional comedy, some may take this with a grain of salt. It wouldn't be the first time an actor or filmmaker has tried to go back on their projects and say they were in on the laugh the whole time, with Tommy Wiseau having said he made The Room as an intentional comedy in the years since it was lambasted by critics and became a midnight cult hit.