Cage to Star in Sci-fi Thriller

Nov. 6 -- Nicolas Cage is attached to star in and produce the sci-fi thriller The Volunteer for New Line Cinema, and shockingly, it's not another comic book role.

The actor, who was long scheduled to play Superman in a now permanently shelved production, recently passed on the chance to star in Ghost Rider, but was lately mentioned to star in the Dark Horse Comics property Hard Boiled for Fight Club's David Fincher.

The Volunteer would find Cage as an Iowa state trooper who, in an attempt to avenge the death of his daughter, becomes a pawn between two alien races. (Don't you hate it when that happens?)

The project marks the feature-writing debut of longtime TV scribe Sam Egan (The Outer Limits), who came up with the idea with producer Richard B. Lewis, according to Variety.

Egan's work on The Outer Limits television series was "thought-provoking and inspired," Cage tells the estimable trade mag. "In the midst of all the current chaos we are experiencing in our country, the story of The Volunteer will emerge in a very timely and provocative way," he added.