Now playing in limited release and coming to home video/VOD/On Demand November 15th is one of the craziest movies you’re likely to see this year: Army of One. Directed by Larry Charles, who previously helmed Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator, the film is based on the true story of Gary Faulkner, who went to Pakistan with a sword to hunt down Osama bin Laden. Nicolas Cage is playing Faulkner in the film, who receives his mission while having a vision of God (Russell Brand). Like I said, it’s bonkers. Army of One also stars Wendi McLendon-CoveyPaul Scheer and Rainn Wilson. For more on the film watch the trailer or this clip.

Last week I landed an exclusive interview with Nicolas Cage to talk about playing Faulkner. He revealed how he got involved in the project, what it was like collaborating with Larry Charles, and how the film shows what he actually did like trying to sail to Pakistan from San Diego. In addition, Cage talked about his thoughts on some of the recent superhero movies, how Brian Taylor’s Mom and Dad will “really going to push the envelope, it's going to piss a lot of people off and it's going to excite a lot of people,” and a lot more.

Check out what he had to say below.

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Collider: Watched the film last night and I’ve been watching some appearances of Gary on the news and I’m going to say you nailed it.

NICOLAS CAGE: Thank you so much.

When did you first hear about Gary's story because it's pretty crazy?

CAGE: Well, I didn't know about Gary until I got the script, which was sent to me via my agent, and then I had the opportunity to sit down a couple hours with Larry Charles in Vegas, we had dinner together. He expressed to me what he wanted to do with the character, what he wanted the character to be like/ look like. I said well I need to get in a room with the actual guy, I had no idea this was a true story that came out of a GQ story that was written about the actual Gary Faulkner. When I actually met the real guy I saw all sorts of challenges that I was going to have to overcome to play him. For one thing he can't stop talking he is a very high-energy sort of manic kind of energy at times. He's a guy with a vision that he is on a quest or was put on a quest by god and he means it 100%, he's serious about it. There's a little bit of edge going on with the real Gary, he's somebody I had to find ways to make likeable in the movie to keep it in the fun zone but also had to find ways to show some of the pain that he'd been through as a child or some of the emotional content behind his choices, to kind of give him a tragic comic personality.

I'm a huge fan of Larry Charles, as I’m sure you are as well. I love the way he takes chances with material. Can you talk about collaborating with him and what it was like on set?

CAGE: Larry is not like anyone else in terms of his vision, he really has managed especially with Army of One, and I think he managed to really blur the line with comedy and tragedy. He did it in a very poignant way. He’s also a cinephile, he's a film enthusiast, he's probably watched everything, and he could talk about any movie. He’s somebody I consider to be a friend. When I was working with him he would push me into these kinds of gonzo situations where anything would go, anything could happen. Not unlike what he did with Borat, talking with real people, real villagers who have never been in a movie before and now acting with them. At the end of the day we talked about a movie that came out of Russia, something heart breaking and dramatic. We talked about Paul Schrader movies, he's the smartest guy out there, you learn from him when you speak with him. He gave me some great movies to watch but he's also an adventurer. He’s got a taste for danger you know high-risk filmmaking. That's what we were doing in the scene where I'm riding a moped into all the brass plates and smashing into everything. Anything could have happened in that moment people could have been pissed but we were doing that and going for it. I knew when I signed on with Larry that this was going to be not only an adventure to make but also an adventurous film.

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Image via TWC-Dimension

One of the things is your telling a real story but also making a movie...so can you talk about the way you guys wanted to balance the fact and fiction of the story.

CAGE: Well everything that happens in the movie is what Gary told us he really did. He really sailed or tried to sail to Pakistan out of San Diego. He really was on a hang glider, you know all these stories were in Gary's mind whether they did or didn’t happen I don't know. I do know that he did get arrested in Pakistan, the trick that Larry and I had was to keep him likeable. We had to find ways to keep the actual guy interesting to the audience and not too off putting. Some of the things Gary can say and some of the tangents he can go on can be pretty edgy. Having said that there was several edgy scenes that I wish had stayed in the movie that had been cut out and I know that was heartbreaking for Larry too. Hopefully one day he'll get a director's cut on DVD or something that we can both enjoy together, I haven't seen that yet. He and I were both concerned with keeping Gary likeable

I'm so curious now about what was cut, I just watched it last night is there an example of a scene that you really…

CAGE: Yeah, there was a scene where I took out a tea with a samurai sword. There was a scene where I karate kicked a bunch of clay pots for no reason. Is the scene on the plane still, the carotid artery and the straw; is that still in there? I don't know.

I don't think so. The sequence on the plane is you're talking to the person next to you about what you're trying to do

CAGE: Yeah but is there a scene where I take somebody down and almost put a spoon in his neck?

I don't remember that.

CAGE: Yeah so there's a lot of stuff that didn't make it but any of that… the movie, I haven't seen the finished version of that. There's a lot of sides and shapes to Gerry Faulkner he's many different things.

The thing is though when you see him in interviews and the way you portray him, no matter what’s going on he always goes back to being positive and nice but sometimes it takes him a little while to get there.

CAGE: Right, yeah that's true that also came through in the interviews I did with him. He gets back to a place of being pleasant but it's still something that is, how do I say this? He's doing something extraordinarily risky and it's dangerous and I just hope he likes the movie.

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Image via TWC-Dimension

I'm a big fan of Brian Taylor and I know you just worked with him on Mom and Dad. I wanted to know if you could talk about the experience and what people could look forward to.

CAGE: Again with Mom and Dad not unlike Army of One, I feel that people can look forward to a film experience unlike anything else. I think that that movie is really going to push the envelope, it's going to piss a lot of people off and it's going to excite a lot of people.

That's my kind of movie.

CAGE: Yeah mine too; I’m a really happy making midnight movies. I love Dog Eat Dog for that reason as well.

Yeah I haven't seen it yet and I really want to, I’m a big fan of Paul's work.

CAGE: Me, too, Schrader is as good as it gets. He's a total maverick. I'm happy to say that that movie turned out the way I really hoped it would. It’s exactly the kind of movie I want to be making right now.

Yeah that's what I also wanted to ask you. What's coming up for you that you're really looking forward to? You've worked in every sort of genre and played such great characters I'm wondering what's in front of you that you're looking forward to/ trying to do?

CAGE: I haven't done a musical yet I would really like to do that; I know that's coming back en vogue right now with La La Land. I always wanted to do one of those almost like the golden age MGM musicals maybe one day I'll get invited to do that.

I was going to say you have a relationship with Disney and they're remaking all their animated films into live action is that something that you'd be up for doing?

CAGE: Oh yeah, I would love to be in Dumbo as the ringleader or Pinocchio as Geppetto.

I've spoken to you a few times in the past about superhero movies. I know you're a huge superhero fan what's your take on the current superhero genre? Have you been watching Batman V Superman, the Marvel movies? Have you been enjoying them… what’s your take on all of them?

CAGE: I thought Civil War was excellent. I though Batman v Superman was excellent. I though Will Smith was great in Suicide Squad. I think that the genre is in good shape.

I agree especially when they keep pushing the boundaries.

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Image via TWC-Dimension