The Ground Literally Gave Way
It has not been the easiest stretch for Nicolas Cage. Just weeks after Amazon Prime Video cancelled his critically acclaimed series Spider-Noir, the Oscar-winning actor is now facing a rather more elemental crisis: a massive sinkhole has swallowed the driveway of his $10.5 million Malibu beachfront mansion, leaving the property in a precarious state and cutting off access to the entire neighbourhood.
Emergency crews were scrambled shortly before 6am on Tuesday after the driveway collapsed entirely, triggering a gas leak along an 85-foot stretch of the road. SoCalGas confirmed the leak was secured within hours, though natural gas was temporarily disconnected as a precautionary measure amid ongoing coastal erosion concerns. Water service to the area may also be cut off until further notice.
Storm Marie's Destructive Reach
The collapse was linked to a Los Angeles coastal flooding advisory caused by Tropical Storm Marie — formerly a full hurricane — which brought heavy rain, 10-foot waves and pounding surf to Southern California over the holiday weekend. While Marie remained offshore, her effects were ferocious enough to threaten some of Malibu's most expensive real estate.
City officials declared at least five homes on the private street — tucked between the ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway — unsafe for entry. The situation is serious enough that even emergency vehicles are struggling to get through.
"Emergency personnel access is severely constrained and may be impassable, due to the large portion of the road that has collapsed," the city of Malibu wrote in its emergency declaration.
Representatives for Cage did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Property records indicate the estate was sold in 2024, with the previous owner confirming to the New York Times at the time that Cage was the buyer.
A History of Real Estate Misfortune
Those who follow Cage's colourful relationship with property will not be entirely surprised. The actor, 62, famously lost his iconic New Orleans home to foreclosure in 2009 — the same mansion widely believed to have inspired FX's American Horror Story due to its deeply haunted history. He had purchased the LaLaurie Mansion in the French Quarter in 2007, a property notorious for the horrific crimes committed on its grounds in the early 19th century.
Cage has previously said he wasn't drawn to the home for its dark past but for its appearance, claiming he wanted a property that would inspire a horror novel he was working on — a book that, to date, remains unfinished. Local superstition holds that the house carries a curse, one that many have cheerfully blamed for the financial turbulence that followed: at his lowest point, Cage owed over $14 million in unpaid taxes to the IRS.
"After finally paying off his debt in 2022 following years of starring in low-budget films, Nicolas has transitioned back into more mainstream roles," according to reporting by The U.S. Sun.
Spider-Noir and a Rare Moment of Critical Glory
The timing of the Malibu disaster is particularly cruel given that Cage had only recently enjoyed one of the stronger critical moments of his recent career. Spider-Noir, in which he played a Depression-era private investigator and retired superhero named Ben Reilly in 1930s New York City, earned glowing reviews from critics and viewers alike following its debut on Prime Video in May. The series picked up five Emmy Awards at Sunday's Creative Arts ceremony, including honours for cinematography, sound editing, stunt coordination, title design and visual effects.
Despite all of that, Amazon pulled the plug on the show — a decision that reportedly surprised many in the industry, though Cage himself took it in his stride. He told Deadline that one season was the 'perfect' length for the Marvel series.
It is a remarkably philosophical response from a man who has appeared in more than 100 films, won an Academy Award for Leaving Las Vegas, and is now set to portray NFL legend John Madden in a biographical film due later this year. Whatever the ground beneath him may be doing, Nicolas Cage's career, at least, shows no sign of sinking.
