Wild Animal Nic Cage Battles Wild Animals In ‘Primal’

“When Animals Attack” is a favorite horror sub-genre of mine. When done right, as in films such as Jaws, Grizzly, The Pack, Razorback, and Cujo, they can be wonderful. These days such productions are often too cheap to be worthwhile (especially with FX), but we still get the occasional winner like Rogue, The Shallows, and Pig Hunt. I’m not sure where Primal will end up on that spectrum, but its central cast member already makes it one to keep an eye on. Have you ever wanted to see Nicolas Cage against a bunch of man-eating critters? Of course you have!

Frank Walsh (Cage), a big game hunter for zoos, has booked passage on a Greek shipping freighter with a fresh haul of exotic and deadly animals from the Amazon, including a rare white jaguar. However, the big cat isn’t the most deadly creature on board. Richard Loffler, a political assassin being extradited to the U.S in secret, is also along for the ride. Two days into their journey, Loffler escapes the team of U.S. Marshals guarding him and releases the captive animals, throwing the ship into chaos. Walsh must now find a way to save the crew from not only the dangerous beasts, but also the mad man on the loose.

So Primal features Nic Cage stuck on a boat with a bunch of deadly animals and an assassin to contend with? Be still my beating heart! That’s an absolute winner of a synopsis! The film is set to go into production next month in Puerto Rico under the direction of veteran stunt coordinator Nick Powell. The director previously helmed the 2014 Cage-starrer Outcast and his impressive stunt crew credits include The Bourne Identity, The Last Samurai, X-Men: The Last Stand, and 28 Days Later. The screenplay was penned by Richard Leder.

WonderMedia is being this tooth-and-claw filled action thriller. The project will be produced by founders Kirk Shaw, Daniel Grodnik, Jeff Bowler and Bret Saxon. Primal is expected to arrive before our eyes sometime in 2018.

In the meantime, if you feel like ragin’ with the Cage, be sure to check out our own Chris Coffel’s essential column: The Tao of Nicolas Cage!