It seems like odd casting to me, but Nicholas Cage is in talks to play a professional wrestler in an independent drama, The Hollywood Reporter said last week. The film, which is titled The Wrestler, centers on Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a 1980s-era star pro wrestler who has become a burnt-out shell of his former self. After he has a heart attack during a small-time match, a doctor tells him he could die if he fights again. The prospect of a rematch with his old nemesis the Ayatollah, however, proves too tempting to resist, even if it means risking his life.

I’m just not sure I buy Cage as a pro wrestler. That’s almost as ridiculous as David Arquette winning the world title. Also, looking at the plot synopsis, I wonder if the writers of the film know that pro wrestling is a work.

When I first heard that there was going to be a movie titled The Wrestler, I thought they were doing a remake of the 1974 cult classic of the same name. That one starred over-the-hill world champion Verne Gagne as an over-the-hill world champion (Gagne, by the way, went on to hold the AWA world title until 1981, when he was 55 — talk about an unrealistic plot).

Since we’re on the subject of movies, it’s worth noting that The Game Plan, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, had another solid weekend at the box office. The Disney film was No. 2 for the weekend after two straight weeks at No. 1, and has grossed $54.7 million overall.

I saw The Game Plan last week with my wife and 2-year-old daughter. While the movie didn’t break any new ground, it was an entertaining family film, and Johnson’s charisma and comedic skills definitely carried it. On a personal note, it was pretty cool for me that the first movie my daughter saw in a theater starred a former pro wrestler. That fact doesn’t exactly thrill my wife, but at least it was The Game Plan and not The Condemned.