Nicolas Cage & Alex Wolff Team For Truffle Hunter Pic ‘Pig’

By Anthony D’Alessandro

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage and Hereditary‘s Alex Wolff have boarded Michael Sarnoski’s Pig.

The feature project, which began production today, follows a truffle hunter, played by Cage, who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness. When his beloved foraging pig is kidnapped, he must journey into Portland – and his long-abandoned past – to recover her.

Sarnoski based his script off a story he co-wrote with Vanessa Block, who is also producing with Dimitra Tsingou, Thomas Benski, Ben Giladi, David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, Dori Rath, Joseph Restaino, Steve Tisch and Cage.

Pulse Films, BlockBox Entertainment, Valparaiso Pictures and Cage’s Saturn Pictures are producing in association with Escape Artists and Sweet Tomato Films. The film will be majority financed by Len Blavatnik’s AI Film with co-finance from Escape Artists & Sweet Tomato Films. Endeavor Content is repping the project’s worldwide rights.

“What began as a very personal project has transformed into a labor of love for so many talented people. I’m thrilled for us all to be bringing this strange world to life,” said director Sarnoski.

Block added, “Sometimes a unique set of circumstances exists for the telling of a pure human story. The creative alchemy of a phenomenal cast and crew has further actualized this magic we’re eager to share with others.”

Thomas Benski, CEO Pulse Films, said “Michael’s vision for Pig is a true testament of his unique voice as a writer/director, and one that we can’t wait to introduce to audiences across the world. Having such an incredible cast attached, led by Nicolas Cage and supported by Alex Wolff, speaks directly to the special nature of the story Michael and Vanessa have devised. At Pulse Films, our focus has always been to work with the best talent and bring forward the best stories, Pig represents precisely that. We are thrilled to be working with such great partners on this project.”

Cage recently starred in the TIFF world premiere of Richard Stanley’s sci-fi thriller Color Out of Space which was bought by RLJE Films at the fest. Pic is based on the short story by H.P. Lovecraft.  After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farmstead, Nathan Gardner (Cage) and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism as it infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a technicolor nightmare. Cage can also be seen in the upcoming title Prisoners of the Ghostland directed by Sion Sono, and last year starred in Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy. Cage’s film credits as an actor have totaled $4.8 billion at the global box office. He won a Best Actor Oscar for his turn in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas. Cage is repped by WME and Stride Management.

Wolff is coming off three premieres at TIFF including Bad Education, which HBO recently picked-up, Human Capital starring Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard and Marisa Tomei, and Castle in the Ground opposite Imogen Poots. Wolff’s feature directorial debut, which he wrote and stars in, The Cat and the Moon, opens on Oct. 25 stateside. He can also be seen next in Sony’s Jumanji: The Next Level opening on Dec.  13. He is repped by CAA, Untitled and Definition-Entertainment. Sarnoski is repped by WME and MGMT Entertainment.