Nicolas Cage's next movie is coming to virtual reality first
If anyone can give the VR entertainment business a shot in the arm, it's Nicolas Cage.
The cult hero actor's next movie, The Humanity Bureau, is coming to theaters and video-on-demand in April, but it'll debut more than a month before that on unspecified VR platforms. Sort of.
The movie, which is a near-future science fiction tale about global warming, will release "as a standalone episodic virtual reality series [called] The Humanity Bureau VRevolution," according to a report in Variety. It's just not clear what that means, exactly.
Producer Kevin DeWalt told the trade magazine that The Humanity Bureau was shot in three formats: standard theatrical, "Barco Escape" theatrical (a gimmicky three-screen setup), and VR. His comment suggests that you'll be able to watch the full movie in VR, but that isn't quite it, apparently.
Variety notes that VRevolution is "based on" the main film, and that it "takes the user through alternative storylines that co-exist with the feature film, but can be viewed as standalone episodes." Whether this means you're watching scenes in the movie from, say, an individual character's perspective or seeing completely new and original content derived from the theatrical cut's storyline remains to be seen.
You'll be able to get up close to Cage's acting in a virtual space.
Really, the important takeaway here is that you'll be able to get up close to Cage's acting in a virtual space. That should be exciting news to anyone who appreciates the veteran actor and internet hero.
In The Humanity Bureau, Cage plays a caseworker for a government agency that roots out unproductive members of society and banishes them to a colony known as New Eden. There's something shady going on at the agency, however, and Cage sets out to uncover its secrets as he always works to protect a woman (Sarah Lind) and her child (Jakob Davies).
The Variety story doesn't mention where or how you'll be able to view The Humanity Bureau VRevolution, though it's a safe bet that Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, at the very least, are both in the mix. The VR series launches on March 2, and the theatrical/VOD release follows one month later, on April 6.
Topics Film Virtual Reality
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
