In Revolution Studios’ exciting sci-fi thriller “Next,” Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage stars as Cris Johnson, a Las Vegas magician with a secret gift that is both a blessing and a curse:  He has the uncanny ability to tell you what will happen next. 

Johnson can see a few minutes into the future, an extrasensory talent that comes in handy for his job as a magician and mentalist in a seedy Vegas club where he performs nightly.  It also has its uses at the blackjack tables when Cris needs some extra cash.

But his talent is no mere parlor trick, and his dexterity with the portals of time has not gone totally unnoticed.  Vegas security guards are watching through their all-seeing casino floor cameras, eager to decipher his knack for consistently beating the odds.  And FBI counter-terror agent Callie Ferris, played by Oscar® nominee Julianne Moore, is eager to tap his brain to help thwart a terrorist group’s planned attack on Los Angeles with a weapon of mass destruction.

With the nuclear time bomb ticking, Cris Johnson could be key in averting a nuclear holocaust.  If he doesn’t use his powers to back-channel through the right portals and change the present, his future – and the future of hundreds of thousands– could be a thing of the past.

Revolution Studios and IEG Virtual Studios Present A Saturn Films/Broken Road Production directed by Lee Tamahori, “Next,” starring Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage, Academy Award® nominee Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Tory Kittles and Peter Falk. 

The film is directed by Lee Tamahori from a screenplay by Gary Goldman and Jonathan Hensleigh and Paul Bernbaum and a screen story by Goldman based on the short story The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick.  The producers are Nicolas Cage, Norm Golightly, Todd Garner, Arne L. Schmidt and Graham King. The executive producers are Gary Goldman, Jason Koornick and Ben Waisbren.

The film’s sharp, fast-paced look is evoked by director of photography David Tattersall, BSC.   The production designer is William Sandell. The editor is Christian Wagner.  The costumes are designed by Sanja Milkovic Hays.  The music is by Mark Isham.  “Next” is distributed by Paramount Pictures.  The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some language.

THE FUTURISTIC VISION OF SCI-FI
SET IN THE PRESENT: THE MAKING OF “NEXT”

In today’s sometimes justifiably paranoid world, where once sacrosanct edifices have been destroyed by terrorists, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that out there, others are plotting yet another similarly unspeakable act. 

To avert this frightening possibility, it would be most valuable if we could see into the future, and that’s exactly the premise that attracted screenwriter Gary Goldman to Philip K. Dick’s short story, The Golden Man, a sci-fi tale which he decided to update and reset in the present day.  “What I liked most about the story was that the protagonist Cris Johnson is a ‘pre-cog.’  Yes, he can see two minutes into his own future, which gives him a vast amount of power, but that gift also has its limitations,” says Goldman.

The idea of turning “Next” into a motion picture stemmed from the release of the hit Steven Spielberg film “Minority Report” in 2002, which was also adapted from a work by Dick and on which Goldman was the screenwriter and executive producer.

“I was approached by Jason Koornick, who created and ran the official Philip K. Dick website, who said he wanted to interview me,” explains Goldman.  During the course of the interview, Koornick told Goldman that he had negotiated a compensation package with the Philip K. Dick estate in return for running the website.   It included an option on one of the author’s short stories of his choosing.  The two men decided to form a partnership since Goldman already knew how expensive and difficult it is to secure an option a Dick story, and Koornick was well aware of the challenges of adapting and producing one. Together they set their sights on Dick’s story The Golden Man.

Although the original short story takes place in the future, Goldman decided to set the story in the present.  Koornick refers to this as genre speculative fiction because, he explains, “science fiction takes place in the future, with future technology and aliens.  ‘Next’ is set in the real world that we all recognize.  It obeys all the laws of physics except in the case of the central character,” explains Koornick.

What Goldman liked best about the protagonist’s precognitive ability was that it approached life in the same way that many of us learn how to play video games.  “When you play a video game, you try something out.  You see if it works and then, eventually, you get killed.  After that, you do it over and you get better at it.  You’re able to understand and learn things from your previous mistakes and bring them to bear during your next attempt.  The idea of being able to live life as if you were playing a video game, I think, is very appealing, and that’s basically what Cris is able to do.  With his gift, he is able to live his life up to the point where he’s harmed or killed.  

“And then he’s able to snap back and play it again and again, each time going a little further until he gets it right.”

The unique nature of how this gift is manifested, however, is what really fascinated Goldman. “Golden Man has a character with a super power, which is precognition, the ability to see into the future, but it’s done in a way that we’ve never really seen before,” he adds.  “Instead of just being a clairvoyant who can glimpse something far into the future, Cris has a kind of future radar. He can see with absolute precision a short distance into his own (and only his own) future.   I was very excited about the possibility of putting this on screen.”

Goldman and Koornick brought the idea to producer Norm Golightly, head of production for Nicolas Cage’s Saturn Films.  “It was instantly something we wanted to do,” says Golightly.  “We asked Gary if he would write the script and then come back to us, which he did.  And Nic reacted to it about as strongly as I’ve ever seen him react to any first draft.”
Cage was attracted to the story for several reasons, he says.  “I admire Philip K. Dick; he’s edgy and uncompromising, and his unique voice in writing translates successfully to films.”

He also enjoys being challenged by every new role and “Next” seemed like a new frontier for him.  “I was interested in a man who appears to be average and normal, but who was born with a gift of being able to see two minutes into his own future.  I’d never played a character like that before.  This also was a different genre for me because it’s not science fiction.  It’s paranormal.  So there are no electronic gizmos or futuristic backdrops.  And Cris’ ‘pre-cogging’ and the unique way he thinks is a marvelous playing field for an actor.”

When he received Goldman’s script, Cage says he was immediately hooked. “I read it and thought it was a very original and heartfelt adventure film.  I had never seen anything like it.  So I thought, let’s go get this made.”

Cage and Golightly brought the script to Revolution Studios’   production executive/producer Todd Garner, who took to the project for several reasons.  “I liked the fact that at its heart, ‘Next’ is a beautiful love story.”  It also helped that he was a huge Cage fan and had previously worked with him on such films as “Con Air” and “Gone in 60 Seconds.”  “Nic is not only a great action hero, he is an unbelievably sympathetic actor.  His acting doesn’t require dialog, which is what makes him so exceptional.  You can read a sentiment on his face.  He can convey so much without saying a word.”

Producer Koornick agrees, adding “The reason that Nic is ideal for this role, besides the fact that he’s a great actor, is that he has an intensity in his facial expressions that makes it very interesting for a viewer to imagine what he’s thinking at any given time.  He can convey this wide range of emotions even when he’s not speaking.  He’s in his own world and envisioning these events playing out.  To be able to convey that in real time as we’re watching him while he’s thinking forward, adds so much to how the story is going to play.”

Bringing director Lee Tamahori on board was…next.  “I’ve been a Lee Tamahori fan for some time,” says Cage.  “I watch his film ‘The Edge,’ with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, annually.  I feel connected to that movie.  I also like ‘Once Were Warriors.’  I can see Lee’s association with his actors; he has a real facility for getting the best performances out of them.”

Producer Garner agrees.  “Although we knew Lee had the action movie genre down with its exciting visuals and stunts, as he showed in his James Bond film ‘Die Another Day’ and ‘XXX: State of the Union,’ we were also attracted by his earlier works in which he dealt with stories that were on a more human level.”

“I wanted Lee to dig deep into the development of the characters and try to think out every aspect of what Chris’ unique ability would be like for him,” says Cage.  “And he was up for that.  In a lot of scenes, he helped me find the right levels of anger and frustration.” 

Casting Julianne Moore as Agent Callie Ferris was an easy choice for the filmmakers.  “Julianne is someone I’ve always admired because she’s always doing something different,” says Cage. 

Although Moore had previously played FBI Agent Clarice Starling in “Hannibal,” the actress had a different focus for Ferris.  “Here I’m finally playing the antagonist.  It’s fun because I don’t have to worry about being sympathetic,” she laughs.  “Ferris is working at cross-purposes with Cris.  She tries to make him realize that he should cooperate with the government to help quash the terrorist threat of a nuclear bomb going off somewhere in Los Angeles; that the needs of many are more important than the needs of the one, himself.”

In terms of the needs of the one, Cris resists at first because he doesn’t want to be held captive in some underground government facility, watching television or reading graphs for the rest of his life.  He sees his future with a beautiful, uncomplicated woman.  But after he meets her, both their lives become much more complicated. 

The romance has another ripple effect.  When he begins to fall in love with this woman, he suddenly gains the ability to see much farther into the future – which makes his cooperation with the FBI agents even more crucial.  

The filmmakers chose Jessica Biel to play the love of Chris’ life, Liz Cooper, a teacher trying to make a difference by teaching underprivileged children.  The actress jumped at the chance to be in “Next” for several reasons:  “Acting in a film with such exceptional talent and experience as director Lee Tamahori, and actors like Nic Cage and Julianne Moore was amazing to me,” says Biel.  “Lee brought a very relaxed tone to the set.  And he was completely open to improvisation, so I felt free to experiment with my role,” she continues.  

“Julianne has made such smart and diverse choices in her career.  I was just so eager to watch her and figure out how she acts so brilliantly and effortlessly. And Nic is so thorough about his performances and who his characters are and how they behave that it spurred me on to kick up my performance.  He made me go a little bit deeper, to try and find other layers in my character.  He set a high bar that I wanted to meet,” says Biel.

Cage, for his part, honed in on Biel’s special talents throughout the script development process.  “We set out to find ways to make both mine and Jessica’s characters have a very romantic quality.  Jessica plays this part, she’s very beautiful and has a quality that makes you feel you could be friends with her, whereas Cris is kind of unusual and his mannerisms are different and he doesn't seem like everybody else.  So it’s an interesting match that these two would fall in love.”

Biel describes her character as a “kind of the damsel in distress throughout the film, which was a real switch for me.”  The actress is best known for her action roles in such movies as “Blade” and “Stealth.”  “It was nice to be a regular girl,” says Biel. “I didn’t have to work out or learn any special skills to play her.  I play a dedicated school teacher leading a simple life, and then BAM, I’m running from the Feds, and falling for this guy who is telling me that he can see the future, and being thrown into terrifying situations.”

In effect, Biel had to un-train herself for the role.  “I had to do the opposite of action.  I tried not to look really cool when I ran.  And I didn’t get to beat anyone up.  I had to play Liz a little bit more feminine and soft, which is not what I’m used to,” she says. 

Cage has also been an action hero in many films.  But while his character in “Next” gets into many confrontations, he often found ways to skirt a confrontation by using his special abilities.  “For Cris, it’s really all about the art of fighting without fighting,” says Cage.  “Because he can see things before they happen, he can avoid a fight in a lot of ways.  It’s fun, and I thought it would be interesting to watch.”

For these sequences, Cage utilized choreography and stunt training, which incorporate some modern dance – Yes, modern dance. Cage had modern dance instructor Scott Grossman on the set to show him different ways of moving in a fight.  “I thought that Cris would have a distinctive approach to movement considering he could see what was coming,” says Cage.  “Therefore he could duck out of the way.   He was a New Age action here.  Also, I felt comfortable incorporating the dance movements because my mother was a modern dancer.”

Being a lover and a fighter isn’t the only way Cage performed dual roles on “Next.” He also served a dual role as actor/producer, as he had on such previous films as “Lord of War” and “The Wicker Man.”   “The job of actor and producer seems to be merging more often for me these days,” says Cage.   It’s a lot more convenient for me to get ideas across if I go through the channels that our film company, Saturn Films, offers me.”

Cage contributed many significant story points for “Next.”  It was his idea that Cris be a magician.  “I thought it would make him more believable,” says Cage.  “Because if a man was born with these precognitive powers, he would stand the chance of being ostracized, considered a freak or an alien.  And he would probably scare people.  So he’d want to hide that fact and the best way to do it is to hide in plain sight; to mask it within the guise of being a magician.”

The decision to make Cris a magician didn’t actually take hold until after filming had begun.  “So all the actors and Lee were looking at me doing a test for this stage character ‘Frank Cadillac,’ and I’m sure they were thinking, ‘What are you doing?”’ laughs Cage.  “But Lee, being the collaborative director that he is, went along with it.”
Not only did Cage think that making Cris a magician was good for the story, it was also fun for him personally. 

“I’ve always been interested in magic.    So I got a great magic team on the set with me.  Magician Sir James Brown taught me some magic and made sure it went smoothly,” says Cage. “It was a child’s dream come true for me.”

Another surprise for the production came when Cage suggested casting his wife Alice in the film just days before the filming of her scene took place.  Alice Cage plays a woman whom Frank Cadillac calls up to the stage during his Vegas show. “It was Alice’s first time acting,” says Cage.  “She’s not interested in being an actress.  But I thought it would be fun for us to have that moment together.  And it was.”