Actor Nicolas Cage, who recently revealed that his television sojourn will continue with True Detective Season 5, is set to lead the upcoming true crime film, The Brand. The film is based on author and journalist David Grann's New Yorker article. Grann's works have served as source material for films like Killers of the Flower Moon, Lost City of Z, and The Old Man and the Gun.
Joining Cage in the star cast are Alexander Ludwig (Bad Boys), Gabriel Basso (The Night Agent), and Maria Bakalova (The Apprenticeship). The film is directed by Gangland fame Vincent Grashaw from Alessandro Camon's screenplay.
The film will revolve around the spike in organised crime inside the American prison system. Cage plays Carter Briggs, leader of a white prison gang, who takes a young lifer, Taylor Hartman (Ludwig), under his wing. The gang soon grows beyond the prison, and Taylor rises in power and tries to build a relationship with Lilly (Bakalova), the woman he loves. Torn between his loyalty to Carter and love for Lilly, Taylor is forced to sabotage the empire he helped build. Basso's role has not been disclosed yet.
The Brand is produced by Identity Media Production and Gramercy Park Media. In addition to boarding True Detective Season 5, Cage's long feature slate includes films like Madden, Best Pancakes in the County, Fortitude, Lords of War, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, The Prince, Parish, C.L.A.Y, and Gambino.
