Nicolas Cage to star in "Bad Lieutenant"

CANNES, France (Hollywood Reporter) - Nicolas Cage will star in director Werner Herzog's remake of the 1992 cult classic "Bad Lieutenant."

Cage, last seen onscreen in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," takes the role of a drug- and sex-addicted corrupt cop, originated by Harvey Keitel in the Abel Ferrara-directed NC-17 film.

TV police show writer/producer William Finkelstein ("L.A. Law," "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue") is writing the screenplay for the new version, and executive producer Avi Lerner promises that the film will deliver as much filth as the original.

Herzog, whose recent films include "Grizzly Man" and "Rescue Dawn," will write and direct the period drama "The Piano Tuner" for Focus Features later this year. ThinkFilm is releasing his documentary "Encounters at the End of the World" in June.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter