Posted in: Opinion, Paramount+, Star Trek, TV, TV | Tagged: holly hunter, nicolas cage, paramount, star trek, Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy: We Need a Hunter-Cage "Raising Arizona" Reunion

With Holly Hunter cast to lead the Star Trek series Starfleet Academy, it's time for a reunion with her Raising Arizona co-star Nicolas Cage.

Published Wed, 22 May 2024 10:38:08 -0500

by Tom Chang

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With the casting of Holly Hunter to play the lead as the captain and chancellor of the Academy in Paramount+'s upcoming Star Trek series Starfleet Academy, there are a couple of unique opportunities that could happen. First, the studio can make a hard play for Nicolas Cage to play another potential leading role or, at the very least, a recurring one to help realize his Star Trek dream. Second, having Hunter and Cage reunite on screen would reunite the stars of the 1987 classic Raising Arizona, which is one of the best early films of the Coen Brothers. Aside from the two having impeccable chemistry in the crime comedy, both can easily carry the series and help to rear the younger cast.

Starfleet Academy: Why We Need a Cage-Hunter 'Raising Arizona' Reunion — Holly Hunter & Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona" (1987). Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Why Nicolas Cage Should Reunite with 'Raising Arizona' Co-Star Holly Hunter on Paramount+'s 'Starfleet Academy'

While production for Starfleet Academy hasn't started, there are obvious potential complications with Cage's commitment to his first episodic TV series with Sony's live-action Spider-Man Noir for Amazon's Prime Video. When asked by TrekMovie.com about his Star Trek fandom, the actor traces it to growing up watching The Original Series for its " wisdom and socially relevant commentary." Cage desires to be on "the bridge of the Enterprise," and Starfleet Academy does raise some interesting possibilities given its 32nd-century setting, as there are plenty of ships in the Star Trek lore to bear the name of the Enterprise. Between the G that from Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in Picard, there are nine centuries where Cage's character could be captain or bridge officer, perhaps for the interest of series longevity, whatever the current Enterprise is on Starfleet Academy.

Will it happen? Before Spider-Man Noir, I would say "no," but now, I can see it, even when there is a fourth Kelvin film in the works and Simon Kinberg will run the theatrical end of the Star Trek franchise. At this stage, TV is a safer bet, and the hard push for Cage should be the new TV series.

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