Nicolas Cage just put the finishing touches on his latest action project, Best Pancakes in the County, a high-stakes thriller that was shot entirely in central Arkansas without much advance fanfare.
Production kicked off quietly in late 2025 and wrapped in mid-January 2026, with crews taking over spots in Little Rock and nearby Roland for several weeks.
Local outlets caught wind of the activity through producer Eduard Osipov of Beno Films, who confirmed Cage’s presence alongside familiar faces like Justin Long and Shelley Hennig.
The story traps everyone in a small-town diner famed for its namesake pancakes, turning a routine night into a powder keg of betrayal and bullets.
Cage takes the lead as a slick con artist with skeletons in his closet, caught in a standoff with rogue federal agents and Hennig’s enigmatic waitress, who knows more than she lets on. That single-location setup screams efficient, propulsive tension, perfect for Cage’s brand of manic energy in confined chaos.
Arkansas stepped up as the backdrop thanks to solid tax incentives and reliable crews, marking the fifth Beno Films production there. Osipov highlighted how the state’s competitive credits draw filmmakers looking to keep budgets tight without skimping on quality.
Sightings of Cage grabbing meals at local joints added to the buzz, but the team kept details under wraps until wrap announcements surfaced. With principal shooting done, post-production now races toward a potential December 2026 or early 2027 theatrical window.
This fits Cage’s relentless pace. Fresh off the horror breakout Longlegs, which scared up nearly 130 million dollars worldwide, he juggles voice work in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and live-action turns in the upcoming biopic Madden and satirical drama The Prince.
Best Pancakes marks a return to straight action-thriller territory, echoing his 90s heyday in films like Face/Off, now a cult staple streaming on Netflix soon.
Pancakes And Payback: Why This Cast Clicks For Cage
Pairing Nicolas Cage with Justin Long and Shelley Hennig feels like a deliberate nod to genre crossovers, blending action roots with recent horror cred.
Long brings his wry everyman vibe from hits like Live Free or Die Hard and cult horrors Barbarian and Tusk, while Hennig channels her Teen Wolf legacy and scream queen turns in Unfriended and Ouija. Their diner trio faces off against shadowy agents, with loyalties shifting as secrets spill amid the syrup stacks.
Director Ken Sanzel, stepping up for his feature film helm, penned the script himself, drawing from his TV background on shows like 24 and The Shield.
Nicolas Cage (Credit: CNN)
His prior credits include action scripting on Kill Chain and early John Woo collaborator The Replacement Killers, signaling a knack for taut standoffs and moral gray areas. Sanzel’s vision locks the action into one explosive evening, forcing characters to improvise survival through wits and firepower.
Cage thrives in these pressure-cooker roles, channeling his trademark intensity into fast-talking survivors who bluff their way out of doom.
Think of his unhinged arms dealer in Lord of War or face-swapping fed in Face/Off, both Woo classics that redefined high-octane thrills. Recent misfires like Gunslingers and The Carpenter’s Son underscore why a quick-turnaround project like this one carries weight; it could recapture the magic of Longlegs’ box office heat.
Producers Beno Films and Caliwood Pictures bank on Arkansas efficiency to fast-track the edit, positioning Best Pancakes as holiday season counterprogramming. The diner’s everyday Americana setting amps the stakes, everyday folks versus elite operatives gone rogue, promising visceral, relatable thrills.
Cage’s Nonstop Roll Keeps Thrillers Coming Fast
Best Pancakes in the County slots into Cage’s jam-packed horizon, where he bounces between indies, blockbusters, and oddballs without missing a beat. The Lords of War sequel starts shooting soon in Belgium and Morocco, reuniting him with Bill Skarsgård for more arms-dealing intrigue under Andrew Niccol’s direction.
The Carpenter’s Son already hit theaters last fall, pitting him as a biblical carpenter against supernatural threats alongside Noah Jupe and FKA Twigs.
That output level keeps Cage relevant in a streaming-saturated market, where quick-to-market films like this diner thriller can grab attention before awards bait dominates.
Longlegs proved audiences still flock to his wild performances, grossing far beyond expectations despite a modest budget. A strong Pancakes follow-up could solidify his action comeback, especially with co-stars who bridge horror and mainstream appeal.
Fan chatter is already building on social platforms, with Arkansas locals sharing set photos and speculation about Cage’s character arc.
As the post heats up, expect first images or teaser footage by mid-year, teasing the pancake-fueled frenzy. For Sanzel, launching with Cage elevates his debut, potentially opening doors to bigger action gigs.
Cage shows no signs of slowing. His mix of franchise voices like Spider-Noir and original genre bets keeps the pipeline full, ensuring fans get fresh Cage chaos year-round. Best Pancakes arrives primed to deliver that rush, one syrupy showdown at a time.
Fans rushed to theaters Thursday for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple , pushing previews to $2.1 million domestically. This mark crushes the franchise record, outpacing 28 Years Later’s $5.8 million Thursday start from last June despite holiday boosts there.
Early tracking pointed to a $12-17 million opening, but strong word-of-mouth from rave first reviews lifted estimates toward $20 million-plus over the MLK four-day stretch.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, the sequel flips the Rage Virus world by spotlighting survivor brutality over zombie hordes. Trailers teased Dr. Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes, tending a massive skull pyramid called the Bone Temple while bonding oddly with an alpha infected named Samson.
Jack O’Connell’s Sir Jimmy Crystal leads a satanic gang that makes the Rage look tame, pulling young Spike (Alfie Williams) into nightmare rituals. Such fresh horrors, built on 28 Years Later’s $30 million opener and $150 million global run, set expectations sky-high.
Murphy’s return as Jim adds rocket fuel. Absent from the 2025 film but exec producing, he steps back as the bike courier who awoke to apocalypse London in 2002’s 28 Days Later.
Danny Boyle confirmed a “significant role” ramps up in this entry, teasing fans with a post-credits cottage scene linking to franchise roots. Social media exploded with clips of Murphy’s gaunt, aged Jim, drawing comparisons to his Oppenheimer gravitas amid zombie chaos.
Cults and Skulls Redefine Rage Horror
The Bone Temple piles bones into towers as a memorial twisted by time and madness. After 28 years of outbreak, survivors craft these pyres, hinting at cults worshiping the dead or the virus itself.
Kelson fends off his morphine-addicted, infected pal Samson, who haunts the site like a guardian demon, underscoring how isolation breeds stranger threats than fast zombies.
Jimmy Crystal’s Fingers gang escalates the dread, skinning captives for satanic rites on a mainland farm. Pregnant survivor Cathy fights back amid barn infernos, while Spike grapples with loyalty to his new “family.”
DaCosta shifts focus to human evil, with Christian symbols inverted in crosses and rituals mocking collapsed faiths. Erin Kellyman as Ink/Kelly brings a gritty edge, impaling foes in a bloody climax, leaving Jimmy sobbing for mommy as Samson claims Kelson.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)
Murphy weaves in late, landing at that familiar Cumbria cottage from prior films, now a haven with books and signs of life. His Jim, older and battle-scarred, ties threads to original survivors, setting up the trilogy capper. Critics hail the pivot: no more mindless rage, but psyches fractured by decades of loss.
The box office reflects a gross of $2.1M; previews beat 28 Days Later’s full 2002 weekend of $10 million and Weeks Later’s $9.8 million. Early screenings in the UK sparked viral praise for O’Connell’s magnetic villainy, which Murphy himself called “absolutely magnetic.”
Trilogy Locked In, Murphy’s Arc Explodes
Sony greenlit the third film fast, with Alex Garland scripting and Boyle eyeing direction. The Bone Temple’s record previews signal franchise revival, doubling down on $60 million budgets that paid off before. Worldwide, expect legs like the original’s 4.5x multiplier if audiences stick, pushing past $150 million again.
Murphy’s Jim emerges central, his “satisfying introduction” morphing into bigger stakes. DaCosta gushed over bringing him back, crafting moments that blew her mind during shoots.
Fans dissect the cottage reveal, spotting ties to Naomie Harris’s Selena and hints at family legacies amid evolving infection. O’Connell steals scenes as Jimmy, but Murphy anchors nostalgia, pulling in Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer crowds to horror roots.
Challenges loom: January slots compete with Avatar holdovers, and horror drops sharply without franchise fever. Yet Thursday’s haul, topping all prior franchise weekends outright, proves appetite ravenous.
Projections climb as reviews certify 90% plus scores, positioning The Bone Temple as 2026’s launchpad hit. Spike and Kelly’s wilderness trek closes on hope-tinged uncertainty, priming Murphy’s expanded run.
