Nicolas Cage Returns for a New Standalone LONGLEGS Movie After Surprise Horror Success
The nightmare isn’t over. After Longlegs crept into theaters and completely caught audiences off guard, a new project is officially on the way, and Nicolas Cage is stepping right back into that unsettling role that had some people squirming in their seats.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a new “mystery project” tied to Longlegs is in development. But don’t expect a traditional sequel. This next chapter is being described as a standalone story, which suggests we’re getting something fresh, possibly expanding the twisted world without retracing old ground.
Osgood Perkins is returning to write and direct, and Paramount Pictures has stepped in to handle distribution this time around, signaling a much bigger stage for whatever nightmare Perkins and Cage are cooking up.
This was definitely one of the strangest roles that Cage has taken on. While a lot of people liked the original movie and other were creeped out by it, I was a little disappointed and didn’t think it was that scary at all. But, that’s just me.
The original Longlegs centered on Lee Harker, played by Maika Monroe, a young FBI agent pulled into a disturbing and unsolved case.
As she digs deeper, things spiral into something far darker, blending crime with occult elements. It wasn’t just a standard serial killer story. It leaned into something far more uncomfortable, especially once Harker realized she had a personal connection to the killer.
One thin that Longlegs got right was the marketing. The film built tension without giving much away. Cage’s character was barely shown in trailers, and even Monroe didn’t fully see him until midway through filming.
That’s what drove me to want to see the movie! While the film didn’t quite land for me, that kind of restraint made the final reveal land harder for some audiences.
Financially, the movie was a monster success. Made for under $10 million, it pulled in over $180 million worldwide. That made it the highest-grossing independent film of the last decade, which is kind of wild considering how strange and unsettling it is. Because of the increased scope of this new project, Neon has stepped away from producing.
If you somehow missed the original, Longlegs is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
There’s no word yet on plot details, but the idea of a standalone story opens the door for something unpredictable. And with Cage and Perkins teaming up again, it’s safe to expect something weird and unsettling.