Editing Nicolas Cage (section)

===2004–2011: Franchise films===
[[File:Nicolas Cage - 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra).jpg|thumb|upright|Cage at the [[2009 Venice International Film Festival]]]]
In his second-highest-grossing film to date, ''[[National Treasure (film)|National Treasure]]'', he plays an eccentric historian who goes on a dangerous adventure to find treasure hidden by the [[Founding Fathers of the United States]].<ref name="8PQYU" /> In 2005, two films he headlined, ''[[Lord of War]]'' and ''[[The Weather Man]]'',<ref name="JkCMP" /> failed to find a significant audience despite nationwide releases and good reviews for his performances.<ref name="yUV67" /> The 2006 remake of ''[[The Wicker Man (2006 film)|The Wicker Man]]'' was very poorly reviewed, and failed to make back its $40-million budget.<ref name="9dwnq" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://substreammagazine.com/2016/09/wicker-man-throwback/|title='The Wicker Man' remake is just as ridiculous even 10 years later|last=Monson|first=Leigh|date=September 1, 2016|website=Substream Magazine|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225125914/https://substreammagazine.com/2016/09/wicker-man-throwback/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In early December 2006, Cage announced at the Bahamas International Film Festival that he planned to curtail his future acting endeavors to pursue other interests. On ''[[The Dresden Files (TV series)|The Dresden Files]]'' for the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci-Fi Channel]], Cage is listed as the executive producer.<ref name="oCe8A" /> The much-criticized ''[[Ghost Rider (2007 film)|Ghost Rider]]'' (2007), based on the [[Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)|Marvel Comics character]], fared better, earning more than $45&nbsp;million (the top earner) during its opening weekend and over $208&nbsp;million worldwide through the weekend ending on March 25, 2007.<ref name="r114G" /> Also in 2007, he had a small but notable role as the Chinese criminal mastermind [[Dr. Fu Manchu]] in [[Rob Zombie]]'s fake trailer ''Werewolf Women of the S.S.'' from the [[B movie|B-movie]] [[double feature]] ''[[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]]''<ref name="SW6ey" /> and starred in ''[[Next (2007 film)|Next]]'', which shared the concept of a glimpse into an alternate timeline with Cage's film,<ref name="N05jH" /> ''[[The Family Man]]'' (2000).<ref name="Nu4Bc" />

In November 2007, Cage was spotted backstage at a ''[[Ring of Honor]]'' wrestling show in New York City researching for the lead role for ''[[The Wrestler (2008 film)|The Wrestler]]''. However, Cage dropped out of production shortly afterward because he felt that he did not have enough time to prepare for the role and director [[Darren Aronofsky]] preferred [[Mickey Rourke]] for the lead role. Rourke would go on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance.<ref name="sescoops" /><ref name="283M0" /> In an interview with /Film, Aronofsky said of Cage's decision to leave the film that "Nic was a complete gentleman, and he understood that my heart was with Mickey and he stepped aside. I have so much respect for Nic Cage as an actor and I think it really could have worked with Nic but ... you know, Nic was incredibly supportive of Mickey and he is old friends with Mickey and really wanted to help with this opportunity, so he pulled himself out of the race."<ref name="slash" />

In 2008, Cage appeared as Joe, a contract killer who undergoes a change of heart while on a work outing in Bangkok, in the film ''[[Bangkok Dangerous (2008 film)|Bangkok Dangerous]]''. The film is shot by the [[Pang Brothers]] and has a distinctly South-East Asian flavor.<ref name="NWfpj" /> In 2009, Cage starred in the science fiction thriller ''[[Knowing (film)|Knowing]]'', directed by [[Alex Proyas]]. In the film, he plays an [[MIT]] professor who examines the contents of a time capsule unearthed at his son's elementary school. Startling predictions found inside the capsule that have already come true lead him to believe that the world is going to end at the close of the week and that he and his son are somehow involved in the destruction.<ref name="UAzWN" /> The film received mixed reviews but was the box office winner on its opening weekend.<ref name="aofOf" />

Also in 2009, Cage starred in the film ''[[Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans]]'', directed by acclaimed German director [[Werner Herzog]].<ref name="4qCph" /> He portrayed a corrupt police officer with gambling, drug and alcohol addictions. The film was very well received by critics, holding a rating of 87% positive reviews on review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref name="tomato" /> Cage was lauded for his performance, with [[Michael Phillips (critic)|Michael Phillips]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' writing "Herzog has found his ideal interpreter, a performer whose truth lies deep in the artifice of performance: ladies and gentlemen, Nicolas Cage, at his finest."<ref name="chitribune" /> This film reunited Cage with [[Eva Mendes]], who played his love interest in ''Ghost Rider''.<ref name="e2WRU" /> In 2010, Cage starred in ''[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010 film)|The Sorcerer's Apprentice]]'', in which he played the sorcerer, and the next year, headlined the period piece ''[[Season of the Witch (2011 film)|Season of the Witch]]'', as a 14th-century knight transporting a woman accused of causing the [[Black Plague]] to a monastery.<ref name="sorcerer" /> In 2011, Cage reprised his role in ''Ghost Rider's'' sequel ''[[Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance]].''<ref name="WzgFX" />