Truffle hunting, as it’s been practiced for centuries, involves walking a scent-trained animal, like a pig or a dog, into an area known to have wild truffles and waiting as they sniff out the pricey tubers one by one. Finding the expensive fungi is a patient and muddy endeavor—although, perhaps, not the most thrilling.
That might soon change with a new movie about truffle hunting starring none other than Nicolas Cage. In the upcoming film Pig, Cage will play an isolated Oregon truffle hunter whose world is rocked by the kidnapping of his hog, per a report from Deadline. Just as he hunted down the Knights Templar’s hoard in National Treasure and the Holy Grail in, uhh, real life, in Pig, the actor will track down his stolen pig and uncover his past in the process. “I’m thrilled for us all to be bringing this strange world to life,” director Michael Sarnoski told Deadline.
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According to Deadline, Pig began production today, so it might be a while until the film is finished. Until then, it’s up to our imaginations to decide what Pig will actually entail. Mirroring the campy, flashy romp of National Treasure would be obvious, but what if we looked to the rest of Cage’s repertoire for inspiration?
In the style of Face/Off, Nicolas Cage and the hog could switch roles, Cage’s voice narrating as the pig stuffs its snout into the ground. Like the 50-car caper of Gone in 60 Seconds, Pig could be a heist movie involving 30-50 truffle-sniffing feral hogs. Alas, far more likely, Pig might just draw on Cage’s well-trodden role as a man seeking vengeance, just as we’ve seen in Drive Angry and Stolen and Dying of the Light and Mandy and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and the aptly-titled Vengeance and so many more.
Until we know more about Pig, you can at least tide yourself over with all these adorable videos of truffle-hunting pigs snorting around in the dirt. You’re welcome.