CAGE CAST AS AL CAPONE? WHAT'S HOLLYWOOD THINKING?

Gotta hand it to Nicolas Cage. He's like the frikkin' Energizer Bunny. He keeps going and going and going. And for every nine crap films he makes, he churns out one helluva performance in the tenth.

Kinda like the high school dance. Ask every broad to dance with you, and you're bound to score with one.

So that's his adage. Make every film to come down the pike, and critics, fans, whoever will like something.

I truly believe he's one talented and quirky actor. A rare combo. He should harvest all of that and leave "Ghost Rider" and "Con Air" to the likes of The Rock. Not the that Rock is bad ... but let's face facts. One dude is a movie star, the other is a film actor.

In any case, the Interweb has been set ablaze the past day or so with the announcement that Cage has been cast as Al Capone in Paramount's upcoming prequel to "The Untouchables."

The flick, titled "Capone Rising," will be once again directed by the once-promising Brian De Palma (sheesh, don't get me started on this one).

While the original film, starring Kevin Coster, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro as Al Capone, centered on G-Man Elliot Ness, this film will center on Cage's Capone.

It follows Capone’s arrival in the Windy City of Chicago and his dealings with patrolman Jimmy Malone. Connery won an best supporting actor statuette for his portrayal of Malone in the 1987 film.

The new flick would reteam Cage with "Snake Eyes" helmer De Palma. Let's hope this time out they don't produce another stinkeroo. "Snake Eyes" was simply awful, let's face facts.

Still, Hemingway's Lounge just can't see Cage as Capone. Too tall. Too lanky. He's got the bald part down cold. But hasn't anyone seen a pic of Al Capone. he looked like a gorilla decked out in pinstripes.

Making Cage Al Capone is just sloppy casting. What's next? Tom Cruise as Edgar Allen Poe? The first words in the original trailer (below) was "ROBERT DE NIRO IS AL CAPONE." Audiences said, "YES!" because he WAS.

You heard it here first, Cage, while amazing in certain parts will not deliver as Capone. It's almost as dumb as Cage wanting to play Superman. What are people thinking?

I don't want to make it seem that I'm coming down on Cage. I'm not. I'm pro-Cage in the right films. Need proof? Check out "Matchstick Men," "The Weather Man," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Adaptation," "Bringing out the Dead," "Vampire's Kiss" and "Leaving Las Vegas" in which he won his Oscar for Best Actor.

But the drek? "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "The Rock," "The Wicker Man," "Ghost Rider" and so forth. This casting is not right.

In any case, the new announcement comes courtesy of an ad in the Cannes 2007 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

There's no word on who'll star as the young Jimmy Malone, although MTV reports that rumors have named both Sean Penn and Colin Farrell.

Penn will go nowhere near this project. Plus isn't he getting ancient? Farrell is an excellent choice, although the dude has to prove he can open a film. At best he's an overrated A-lister that's pretty good in supporting roles. Put his kisser above the title and watch the film tank. HARD.

"The Untouchables" saga is partly based on a 1959 television series of the same name (as well as non-fiction tome by G-Man Ness). There was also a brief TV series that ran in the '90s. The 1987 film was a huge hit grossing over $76 million domestically 9awesome numbers for the day).

Cameras are set to roll this October.

In the meantime, enjoy this CLASSIC trailer for the 1987 film.