Nicolas Cage's New Netflix Project Is One You Won't Want To Miss
Nicolas Cage is ready to take us all to school — only, this time, the lessons will be meant for adults, not kids. Netflix announced on Tuesday that the prolific actor will host a new comedy series for the streaming service entitled History of Swear Words, using humor and expertise to inform audiences of the origins, science, and cultural impact of some of the most common curse words.
The first season will consist of six episodes, each of which will boast a 20-minute runtime, and the show will take a deep dive into everything audiences need to know about a half dozen of the most widely used profanities: "f***," "sh**," "d**k," "p****," and "damn." The series, which arrives on Netflix on Tuesday, January 5, features a stacked cast of supporting stars and an eyebrow-raising teaser, so let's take a look at what we know about History of Swear Words so far.
The first teaser has claws
In Netflix's first teaser for History of Swear Words, Cage offers a lofty analysis of the word "p****," adding the five-letter phrase to a very Georgia O'Keeffe-esque flower and musing, "It is a thing of great wonder and mystery, quivering with complexity, strength, and resilience. However, also buried within, a delicate femininity and, dare I even say, naughtiness."
Surrounded by other suggestive portraits of things like a peach and a conch shell, Cage continues to describe the complexity and multiple meanings of the word of the day. "Look one way and you see a gentle feline innocence. Look another way, and oh my. Yes, it has the power to steer our souls and intoxicate our minds. Men have died for it. Women have moved in together way too soon for it. And to fully capture its essence, we must plunge unafraid deep within its enchanted garden," Cage says. "Feast your eyes upon the very house of life and death, the temple of sensuality, and a term for that kid too afraid to play dodgeball in gym glass. Behold! It also can be a cat."
He's got a deep roster of A-listers joining in on the fun
Cage won't be diving into all things expletive alone. History of Swear Words will also feature several A-list guest stars, including Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes, Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
He will also usher in expert commentary from Dr. Benjamin Bergen, cognitive scientist and author of What the F; Dr. Anne Charity Hudley, a linguist and educator; Dr. Mireille Miller-Young, a professor of feminist studies; film critic Elvis Mitchell; Dr. Melissa Mohr, who literally wrote the book on the subject with Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing; and Kory Stamper, lexicographer and author of Word by Word. These fellow celebrities and experts will help Cage in offering audiences some thorough context for the six swear words at issue throughout each episode.
History of Swear Words is executive produced by Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, and Beth Belew for Funny or Die, alongside Brien Meagher and Rhett Bachner for B17 Entertainment. Bellamie Blackstone serves as showrunner and executive producer for the series. Check it out, if for no other reason than because it's the best way to whet your Nicolas Cage whistle for his forthcoming martial arts-alien invasion mashup.