Nicolas Cage and FKA Twigs Star in Horror Reimagining of Jesus’ Childhood

Nicolas Cage has taken on the role of Joseph in the upcoming horror retelling of Jesus’ childhood titled The Carpenter’s Son.

The movie – which was was both written and directed by Lofty Nathan – is set to release in theaters later this year on November 14.

The cast also includes British singer FKA Twigs who plays Mary/The Mother and Noah Jupe who portrays Jesus/The Boy.

An official trailer for the project dropped on Wednesday and is based on the Infancy Gospel Of Thomas.

Fans have since taken to X to share their contrasting opinions on the movie, with some excited for the 61-year-old actor’s role in the film and others slamming the premise.

The nearly two-minute trailer began with Cage standing on top of a cliff as his voiceover could be heard saying, ‘What awaits us when we turn at last to death?

‘Let my faith endure,’ he continued as ominous music began to build up in the background. ‘Faith. My only strength to bear against the devil itself.’ 

The clip cut to Cage as well as FKA Twigs and Jupe as their characters traveled on foot as the National Treasure actor explained, ‘For years we live in hiding, driven from every home.’ 

He then added that Jupe’s character The Boy ‘bears a power he cannot understand. A power I cannot contain.’ 

Another character is introduced in the trailer simply named The Stranger – and is played by Isla Johnston. 

Short snippets of dramatic scenes between Cage and FKA Twigs are shown as the trailer came to a close. 

‘I’m the accuser of life. I am the adversary,’ The Stranger told The Boy with blood on their face. ‘And why I am here?’ 

The Boy replied with, ‘To torment me,’ which prompted The Stranger to respond, ‘Yes.’ 

The official premise of the film is: ‘Family hiding in Roman Egypt. Son known as “the Boy” doubts guardian “the Carpenter,” rebelling with mysterious powers. As he uses abilities, they face natural and divine horrors,’ per IMDB. 

Social media users jumped to X to share their thoughts, with one penning: ‘Can we genuinely not do this.’ 

Another typed out, ‘No thanks,’ and one added, ‘Another film I won’t both[er] with, why does Cage get involved with garbage such as this??’ 

‘Wth seriously, no. nobody asked for this,’ an X user also commented, while others had different opinions. 

One said, ‘That’s either going to be cinema history… or the wildest fever dream ever put on screen. Either way, I’m watching lmfao.’ 

‘Nicolas Cage in a biblical horror movie? That’s a combo I didn’t know I needed,’ a fan wrote, and one shared, ‘Nick Cage has been on his Horror movie arc and I am here for it.’ 

Another added, ‘Nicholas Cage as Jesus’ stepdad is not on my 2025 bingo card,’ while one X user also said, ‘This actually looks good.’ 

‘Biblical horror is a genre I didn’t know I needed until now,’ a fan penned, while one added, ‘I do wanna see this.’ 

A few weeks earlier, a 15-second teaser was also released to give a glimpse at the upcoming horror retelling – with other viewers also expressing their thoughts on social media at the time. 

‘What the hell is this??’ one typed on X, and another asked, ‘Why would Jesus’ childhood be dark?’ 

A fan also said, ‘Still wondering why this has to be horror man,’ and another simply wrote, ‘Why.’ 

‘This movie will fumble harder than war of the worlds and Snow White which says a lot,’ one person predicted. 

Another commented, ‘Apparently, this is based on The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. I don’t necessarily believe in that gospel but I do think that it’s a cool piece of history so I’m curious about this movie. 

‘I can’t blame anyone for being offended by this though!’ they added. 

One shared, ‘I am SO intrigued by this film I’m so excited,’ but another wrote, ‘I have no words anymore man.’ 

Cage is no stranger when it comes to the horror franchise and played the role of a serial killer in the 2024 horror thriller film Longlegs. 

The actor was praised for his performance in the movie – which notably raked in $128 million in the box office on a budget of around $10 million. 

Cage has previously opened up about taking on roles in the horror genre and said, ‘I have always maintained that horror, when done well, is genuinely surreal. It’s dream logic. It doesn’t have to rely on physics or reality,’ per AP News. 

‘It can allow actors to express themselves in other ways besides that which is considered the arbiter of great acting, which is 1970s naturalism.’ 

The Ghost Rider actor continued, ‘That is good, but we’ve done it again and again, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.’