Nicolas Cage is ready to let loose his talented insanity in this upcoming action-horror-comedy from Screen Media Films. Entitled Willy’s Wonderland, we follow a laconic drifter who takes up a janitorial position in an abandoned family entertainment center. Little does he know, he’s being offered as a sacrifice to eight living animatronics.
“It’s Your Birthday, and We Want You to Have Fun” in Willy’s Wonderland
The bombastic official trailer for Willy’s Wonderland shows off much of the bloodthirsty carnage we’ve come to expect from recent Nic Cage films. Backed with a chilling rendition of a “Happy Birthday” tune, a quiet clean-up-man with a “Willy’s Wonderland” shirt soon finds himself in trouble when gore splatters over colorful animal-looking animatronics who are hungry for their next meal. Consequently, the tables quickly turn, with the Janitor changing his work environment into a battleground of blood-filled family fun!
In addition, when talking to Entertainment Weekly, Willy’s Wonderland director Kevin Lewis provided a bit more background for the haunting mechatronic puppets:
I call them the Psychopathic Animatronic Misfits. You’ve got Willy the Weasel, Artie the Alligator, Gus the Gorilla. There’s eight of them, and they spring to life and attack him and others, and Nic has to battle his way out. It’s like man versus machine! They’ve been doing this in the past and they picked the wrong guy: Nic.”
A Horror Brother From Afar
Willy’s Wonderland seems quite similar to a popular video game franchise: Five Nights at Freddy’s. Both characters (Nic Cage’s Janitor and Freddy’s Night Guard) work disturbing after-hours at their job, and their adversaries are the very ones they’re looking after. While both must survive, it seems that the Janitor will take the fight directly to them (as seen in the trailer when he bludgeons a wide-eyed flamingo animatronic).
Willy’s Wonderland was written by G. O. Parsons with direction by Kevin Lewis. Producers attached are Nicolas Cage himself, Jeremy Davis, David Ozer, Mike Nilon, and Grant Cramer. The film will be released through video-on-demand, as previous theater release intentions were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are you ready for another unhinged Nicolas Cage action fest? The trailer has certainly gotten us hyped for this one. If you’re thinking of checking out Willy’s Wonderland, let us know in the comments below!
