FILM FORECAST:  CLEARLY  COMEDIC YET PARTLY DRAMATIC
For Nicolas Cage, it was the surprises in the script and how real the emotions were in all the characters that got his attention. "My first reaction after reading the script was how incredibly honest it is," remembers Cage. "It has lots of twists and turns and it often surprised me to the extent that I didn't know which way it was going to turn out. As for the character I portray, David Spritz gives me an opportunity to express some real emotional range and play someone I've never played before."
Director Gore Verbinski, fresh off his success of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," was eager to work with Cage, particularly because the screenplay called for subtle shifts in performance, perfect for an actor of his caliber.
"There's no one better suited to play a guy like David Spritz than Nic Cage," says Verbinski. "The role calls for someone who can bring both pathos and humor into his performance and Nic's absolutely brilliant at that."
Cage was equally as enthusiastic about working with Verbinski and called their collaboration a labor of love. "Gore and I had a terrific rapport on the set and we both saw an opportunity to do some experimenting with this film," remembers Cage. "I really don't want to reveal all the things we tried, but let's just say that people will be happily surprised when they see this movie."
While Cage found himself a little surprised by how difficult it is to play a weatherman, claiming that he was simply given a clicker one day and told to "figure out the geography," he was even more taken aback by the magnetic presence of this co-star, two-time Academy Award^â winner Michael Caine.
"Michael definitely conveys an aura of intimidation, a rather stern presence, which is very appropriate for portraying David Spritz's dad," observes Cage. "Also, he's one of those actors who is a master of not blinking and he's got these ice blue eyes…so when my character is supposed to have trouble meeting his father's gaze, it really comes across as real."
Director Verbinski offers that Caine brings a magnitude to the role that no other actor could have. "Michael has the ability to carry nobility without being cold. Because of the nature of how brilliant his character is, that's extremely important."
For Caine, signing on to play David Spritz's dad was a no-brainer, given the quality of the script, the director and the other actors with whom he'd be working. "Someone once said 'a man is judged by the company he keeps,' and this is very good company," says Caine. "As for the script, it brought me from laughter to tears and back again. It's one of those movies that's not a comedy, a drama or a tragedy - it's all those things, because that's what real life is."
Golden Globe nominee Hope Davis, who portrays Noreen, David Spritz's ex-wife, couldn't agree more. "This film is a very naked look at American culture that deals with some very real, sometimes painful issues, in a very humorous way. It's actually quite a brave movie that tells a very moving story," observes Davis. "And it's got some really juicy moments that people are going to love."
Davis also has tremendous admiration for Cage, whose performance she says is not only amazing but could not have been achieved by any other actor. "Nic created such a sympathetic character and portrayed him in such a funny way!" exclaims Davis. "I mean, poor David Spritz tries to do everything right and he just doesn't have a clue!"
Director Verbinski points out that Davis' portrayal of Noreen is crucial to the depiction of family and what the loss of it means to David Spritz. "As David's ex-wife, Hope has to play both sides of their disintegrating relationship," says Verbinski. "On the one hand, she makes the audience want them to get back together, but at the same time, she shows us that it could never work. Hope is an immensely talented actress, and the unique nuances she brings to her character provide infinite support to Nic's performance throughout the film."
Cage agrees, adding that the flaws in his character, as brought out by how hard he tries to win back Noreen, all stem from a deep love for his family. "In David's failures and mistakes, you see a man who is really trying to do his best, and it all comes from a good place -- from love," observes Cage. "I think this film depicts a very realistic portrayal of what a lot of families go through -- the good and the bad."

PREDICTING A GREAT PRODUCTION
When producer Todd Black ("A Knight's Tale," "Antwone Fisher") read "The Weather Man" by screenwriter Steven Conrad ("Wrestling Ernest Hemingway") he immediately recognized brilliant writing. "Steve's screenplay was one of the funniest, most unique, touching scripts I've read in my career as a producer," says Black. "It's a very telling story about a man's life with his family, his career and his inner, very personal, thoughts that we all can relate to. It's very honest and in your face, which is to say that it doesn't sugarcoat or shy away from anything, and I think audiences will appreciate that."
Screenwriter Steven Conrad says his vision for the film is being fully realized and he couldn't think of any director, stars or producers more suited to bringing "The Weather Man" to its greatest potential. "Everyone involved with this project has been terrific and has brought something different to making what was on the page into what I believe is a very human, very engaging film. It's just a fun look at the serious things we all have in our lives."
Proving that even though life can be a struggle, it doesn't hurt to laugh at it, "The Weather Man" attracted not only critically acclaimed actors but also real-life personalities who appeared in key cameo roles. For example, well-known morning show co-host Bryant Gumbel and renowned Californian Cuisine chef Wolfgang Puck appeared to add the authenticity to the fictionalized morning program, "Hello America." In addition, Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist for a Chicago television station and the Chicago Tribune, had a small part in the film and served as the movie's technical advisor.
"I was very impressed by the attention to detail by the director, the stars and the entire production crew," says Skilling, who taught Nicolas Cage how to read the chroma key and how to perform in front of the green screen. "Computer graphics are superimposed in front of this crazy screen that looks completely different to the audience, and I taught Nic how to interact with it. Truthfully, I was amazed at how quickly he took to working with the screen because it can be tricky, but he seemed so natural it was as though he'd been doing it for years!"
Just as the script called for, filmmakers chose to set the film in Chicago for one big reason - weather. "There's some serious weather going on in Chicago for most of the year, and people really do plug into the forecasts to find out what they have to face that day," says screenwriter Steven Conrad. "In Chicago, people often know their weather people by name since they check in to learn about the latest conditions throughout the day. In fact, the weather people establish this kind of 'we're-all-in-this-together' vibe," which gives them the kind of celebrity that David Spritz has."
Nicolas Cage agrees: "Chicago weathermen are very important because everyone in the city relies on them so much. If they get it wrong, it really can ruin their day because the weather here is so intense. It can be thirty degrees one day and eighty degrees another day. A Chicago weatherman is a whole different animal than a Los Angeles weatherman," Cage jokingly points out. "A Los Angeles weatherman doesn't really have any seasons to forecast. There are earthquakes and fires, but weather? Not really."

Working in a wide-range of budgets with many of today's top talent, GORE VERBINSKI (Director) is considered one of the top visionary filmmakers of his generation.  With only four feature films to his credit thus far, Verbinski's box office success totals over $1 Billion worldwide.
Most recently, Verbinski directed the immensely successful "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," starring Johnny Depp. Released by Disney in 2004, the film went on to become one of the top grossing films of the year and earned Depp an Oscar nomination for his performance. Prior to this swashbuckling adventure, Verbinski directed the chilling horror film "The Ring," starring Naomi Watts, raising the bar for fans of the genre around the world.  "The Ring" grossed nearly $130 million domestically and helped to make Naomi Watts a household name. Always enigmatic in his choices and willing to cross genres, "The Weather Man" represents Verbinski's first foray into drama.
Prior to embarking into the world of features, Verbinski was an award-winning commercial director. The UCLA graduate also cut his teeth extensively in directing high-profile music videos for such cutting edge artists as Bad Religion and The Crystal Method.
Verbinski is currently in production on the next two installments of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.  He lives with his family in Los Angeles.

STEVEN CONRAD (Writer/Co-Producer) sold his first screenplay, "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway," to producer Todd Black right after he graduated from Northwestern University in the early 1990s.  Their friendship grew over the years, with both men hoping to find another opportunity to work together. That opportunity presented itself as "The Weather Man." 
Born in Florida and now living in Chicago with his wife and son, Conrad wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Escape Artists drama, "Pursuit of Happyness," to star Will Smith.

Academy Award® winner NICOLAS CAGE (David Spritz), one of the most versatile actors of our time, is equally well known for his poignant portrayals in both drama and comedy.  His memorable performance as an alcoholic drinking himself to death in the MGM drama "Leaving Las Vegas," directed by Mike Figgis, earned him an Academy Award.  He also received a Golden Globe and Best Actor awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics and the National Board of Review.
Cage further solidified his leading man status when he received Academy Award®, Golden Globe, Screen Actor's Guild, and BAFTA nominations for his dual roles of twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Spike Jonze's quirky comedy "Adaptation," which co-starred Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.   
Recently, Cage completed production in Australia on "Ghost Rider" for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film is scheduled for release in August 2006.
Cage is currently filming the independent film "The Wicker Man" in Vancouver, a mystery/ thriller directed by Neil LaBute.
Next, Cage will begin filming Paramount Pictures' untitled World Trade Center project for director Oliver Stone.  Following this, Cage will begin production on "Next," a sci-fi thriller directed by Lee Tamahori and co-produced by Revolution Studios and Cage's Saturn Productions.
Cage can currently be seen in "Lord of War," a drama/thriller co-produced by Saturn Films, Cage's production company.  Andrew Niccol wrote and directed the film.
Last year, Cage starred in producer Jerry Bruckheimer's worldwide hit, Disney's action/adventure "National Treasure," directed by Jon Turteltaub, and in 2003, he starred in the Warner Bros. film "Matchstick Men."
At the end of 2002, Cage released his feature film directorial debut, "Sonny."  Cage cast an impressive group of actors, including Golden Globe winner James Franco, Mena Suvari, Brenda Blethyn and Harry Dean Stanton.  The film was accepted into the 2002 Deauville Film Festival.  Gold Circle Films, Vortex Pictures and Cage's Saturn Productions produced the picture.
Cage's production company, Saturn Films, produced the 2002 Universal Pictures film "The Life of David Gale" and, in 2000, the critically acclaimed Lions Gate film, "Shadow of the Vampire."
Cage's many other films include "Windtalkers,"  "Captain Correlli's Mandolin," "The Family Man," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Bringing out the Dead," "Eight Millimeter," "Snake Eyes," "City of Angels," "Face Off," "Con-Air," "The Rock," "Guarding Tess," "Red Rock West," "It Could Happen to You," "Kiss of Death," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Valley Girl," "Cotton Club," "Racing with the Moon," "The Boy in Blue," "Peggy Sue Got Married," Joel and Ethan Coen's "Raising Arizona," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Fire Birds."
It was Cage's portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in "Birdy" that first established him as a serious actor.  Directed by Alan Parker, "Birdy" won the jury prize at Cannes.  Cage then received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor for his role as Cher's lover in "Moonstruck."  David Lynch's "Wild at Heart," starring Cage and Laura Dern, won the Palm d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
Some of Cage's other honors include a Golden Globe nomination for his role in "Honeymoon in Vegas," the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montreal World Film Festival, and the first ever Distinguished Decade in Film Award at ShoWest.   
Cage was raised in Long Beach, California and lived there until his family moved to San Francisco when he was 12.  Cage began acting at age 15 when he enrolled in San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre where he appeared in the school's production of "Golden Boy."  He later moved to Los Angeles, and while still a high school student landed a role in the television film "The Best of Times."  He made his feature film debut in "Rumble Fish."
Cage currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Alice Cage.

MICHAEL CAINE (Robert Spritzel) has been in over ninety motion pictures and has been nominated for six Academy AwardsÒ including "Alfie," "Sleuth," "Educating Rita" and "The Quiet American." The highly lauded thespian won Best Supporting Actor OscarsÒ for his performances in "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "The Cider House Rules."
Caine's other honors include the New York Critics' Best Actor Award for "Alfie," a Golden Globe Best Actor Award and a BAFTA Award  (the British equivalent of an OscarÒ) for "Educating Rita," a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for "Little Voice."   
Caine was born in South London and had a childhood fascination with cinema.  Leaving school at sixteen, he worked in numerous menial jobs until National Service with the Royal Fusiliers took him to Korea.  Upon his discharge, his first job in the theater was as assistant stage manager in Horsham, Sussex.  When he returned to London, he acted with Joan Littlewood's Theater Workshop and played a minor role in the film "A Hill In Korea" while obtaining bit parts in other movies and walk-on roles in a couple of West End plays.
Eventually touring Britain with one repertory company after another, he developed a relaxed stage presence and perfected a vast range of accents. Starting out as an understudy in the role of Private Bamforth in the London stage hit "The Long and the Short and the Tall," Caine ended up taking over the part when O'Toole dropped out and toured the provinces for six months.  Following this stint, his television and film parts grew more substantial. 
The turning point in his film career came in 1963, when he landed the part of aristocratic Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead in "Zulu." Passing forever out of the ranks of anonymity, he next played Harry Palmer in the espionage thriller, "The Ipcress File" which exceeded all expectations at the box office.
In 1966, "Alfie" catapulted Caine to super-stardom. In the annual British film critics' poll it was voted Best Picture of the Year. It also gave him his first Academy AwardÒ nomination. 
In the late sixties, he appeared in "Gambit," "Funeral In Berlin," "Billion Dollar Brain,"  "Hurry Sundown," "Woman Times Seven," "Deadfall," "The Italian Job," "The Battle of Britain," "Too Late The Hero" and "The Last Valley."  During the seventies he starred in "X, Y and Zee," "Pulp,"  "Sleuth," "The Wilby Conspiracy," "The Romantic Englishwoman," "The Man Who Would Be King," "Harry & Walter Go To New York," "California Suite" and "The Swarm."
In the eighties, Caine starred in "Dressed To Kill," " Victory," "The Hand," "Death Trap," "Educating Rita," "Blame It On Rio," "The Holcroft Covenant," "Hannah And Her Sisters," "Sweet Liberty" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
In 1992, he and American producer Martin Bregman formed M & M Productions to make films in Britain for Caine to star in or direct.  Their first production was "Blue Ice," co-starring Sean Young and directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Caine is also an author. He wrote an autobiography, What's It All About?, as well as Acting on Film, a book based on a highly successful series of lectures he gave on BBC Television.  Caine most recently appeared in this summer's releases "Batman Begins" and "Bewitched."
In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II honored Michael Caine with knighthood.  Born Maurice Micklewhite, he is now officially known as Sir Michael Caine.