Dream Scenario: Release Date, Trailer & Everything We Know About The Nicolas Cage A24 Movie

Nicolas Cage is starring in another 2023 movie, which is produced by A24 and sounds typically surreal. Here's everything we know about Dream Scenario.

A24 has joined forces with Nicolas Cage for a unique fantasy horror comedy, and here's all the Dream Scenario news so far. Nicholas Cage is one of the most unpredictable actors working today, and there's no knowing what movie role he'll accept next. In 2022, he played an exaggerated version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and in 2023, he played Dracula in Renfield. Though Cage's next performance doesn't sound quite as over the top as those, his role in the A24 horror comedy Dream Scenario has the potential to be another iconic character from the eccentric actor.

The quality to expect from a Cage movie can be a coin toss. While Nicolas Cage's 2010s direct-to-VOD days are behind him, he still takes roles in underwhelming low-budget movies like Sympathy For the Devil, which had a mixed reception. However, given that Cage's next project is produced by A24, there are high hopes that Dream Scenario could be another strong entry in his filmography. A24 has become a beloved independent studio with a distinct brand, which is made up of thought-provoking narratives with strange concepts, and what's been revealed of Dream Scenario so far sounds no different.

Related: Every A24 Horror Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The most recent Dream Scenario news came in August when A24 confirmed the release date. Dream Scenario will release on November 10, 2023, with the new Nicolas Cage movie's premiere slightly earlier as it'll be opening for the Toronto International Film Festival's Platform section. However, A24's choice for the Dream Scenario release comes as a surprise, as the cast might not be able to promote the release given the SAG-AFTRA strike. Fortunately, there's a chance that the union could grant the Dream Scenario cast a waiver given that A24 is an independent studio and not a part of the AMPTP (the alliance of studios with which SAG-AFTRA is negotiating).

The Dream Scenario release date is November 10, 2023. This comes long after principal photography on the movie wrapped in 2022 (via Canada Today). However, Dream Scenario was given test screenings in June, and according to A24, the response was overwhelmingly positive (via World of Reel). It was reported that one of the horror comedy's most memorable moments is a terrifying scene with Paul Matthews' (Cage) daughter, and that "Cage confronting cancel culture might be the selling point for this one!" Dream Scenario was also compared to the surreal 2015 comedy The Lobster.

The Dream Scenario cast is led by Nicolas Cage, and his partnership with A24 for the comedy horror has been a driving force behind the growing interest in it. In Dream Scenario Nicolas Cage plays Paul Matthews, a schlubby professor and family man. Cage looks almost unrecognizable as Paul, as the character is bald and overweight. Though Paul isn't one of Cage's typically over-the-top characters, the Dream Scenario character's description sounds similar to his role as pushover Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation. The Dream Scenario cast also includes Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown), Kate Berlant (Don't Worry Darling), Tim Meadows (The Goldbergs), Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and Dylan Baker (The Good Wife) and Michael Cera (Barbie), though the characters they're playing are still unknown.

Not much has been revealed about the Dream Scenario story, but given that it's directed by Ari Aster, who helmed Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid, the basic premise is expectedly bizarre. In Dream Scenario, everybody starts seeing Paul Matthews in their dreams, and Paul's life is turned upside down when he becomes a celebrity. Dream Scenario sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, only way more frightening. What these dreams featuring Paul entail is unknown, but it'll likely be typically creepy. A frightening scene between Paul and his daughter has already been teased, along with Paul somehow battling cancel culture.

The Dream Scenario trailer has yet to be released, but given the release date of November 10, the trailer will likely be available sooner than later. A24's most recent movie Talk to Me was released on July 28, and its trailer was released three and a half months beforehand. Given that it's less than three months until the release of Dream Scenario, the trailer should be released imminently.

Currently splitting his time between Madrid and Chicago, Stephen Barker has been a staff writer at Screen Rant since 2020. Since graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Cultural Studies in 2014, he has written for numerous movie and music websites. Visit Stephen's personal blog, Quaranste, where he writes about guilty pleasure movies, his latest musical discoveries, and how he stays creative during global pandemics.