Nicolas Cage wants to play Lex Luther.
The 54-year-old actor insists he wouldn’t be right to portray Superman but he’d love to portray the DC Comics hero’s ultimate nemesis.
Discussing a campaign to make him the next Superman because he named his youngest son Kal-El, 13, after the superhero’s birth name, he said: "Oh, I think my Superman days are long gone."
But asked if he’d prefer to be a villain, he added: "Oh, that would be great! I’d make a great Lex Luther!"
But the ‘Mandy’ actor usually prefers to work on smaller movies because they allow him to push the boundaries and experiment with different acting techniques.
He told The Guardian newspaper: "I like to break forms, try different things, and I don’t think studios are comfortable with that. But in an independently spirited film, I can do that."
The ‘Con Air’ actor – who also has son Weston, 27, from a previous relationship – credits his kids for his strong work ethic.
He said: "I certainly have a work ethic, that I will say. I’m the first to arrive and the last to leave. But also I think my children are to thank for that. When you’re a father, you can’t behave like that."
But Nicolas also admitted it’s important for him to keep busy because he can be "very self-destructive" if he doesn’t have work to keep him occupied.
He added: "Also, if I don’t have somewhere to go in the morning and a job to do, it can be very self-destructive. Then I’m just going to sit and order two bottles of red wine and dissolve, and I don’t want to be that person, so I have to work."
Nicolas Cage eyes DC villain role
