Though Herzog will definitely nail this role, he’s not the only Documentary Filmmaker out there who could play a villain.  Let’s take a look at some other Documentarians who could go up against the hero.

Errol Morris – The Thin Blue Line

This doesn’t need an explanation. Just look at the picture. If he’s not Doctor Evil, he’s definitely a mafioso/corrupt mayor/both.  And considering he’s best known for his work exposing an unlawfu conviction from the police, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s got untold experience dealing with the law.

Ken Burns - The Civil War

Ken Burns has that Hannibal Lector/Mr. Rogers thing going on.  Not only is he soft spoken and well read, he’s encyclopedic when it comes to just about anything.  You can’t tell me you’d accept a dinner invitation from this guy — first he’d drone on about _____ historical period until you fell asleep and woke up getting your brains spoon fed to you by Burns while he talks about what a great neighbor you are.  Whenever they decide to reboot ‘Silence of the Lambs‘, Ken Burns should at least be considered for the role of Hannibal.

Morgan Spurlock – Super Size Me

Morgan Spurlock may be a world famous documentarian, but that mustache has ‘corrupt small town sheriff‘ written all over it.  He’s got ego, he’s self righteous, and to top it off, he’s got enough tenacity to pester anyone that walks in his path into doing his bidding.  Sure he’s “doing good”, that’s what every corrupt lawman says.  Sheriff Spurlock, you have my vote.  See?  I’m already agreeing with him.

Werner Herzog made a documentary about the Chauvet cave, where the earliest cave paintings ever discovered have been preserved like the cavemen drew them yesterday. Cave of Forgotten Dreams sure is pretty, but man, it’s soooo boring.

It’s a History documentary so it’s educational and informative, and has no personality and just lingers on scientific information. 3D or not, the crystallized rock looks beautiful, but as a screensaver, not a movie.

The film explains how any scientists at all are allowed in the cave. There’s a sterile chamber where you put on sterile boots and gear so that you don’t contaminate the caves. They’ve put in a metal walkway and you have to stick to that so you don’t get your modern day grease on the stones.

Herzog narrates and it’s kind of funny that he’s so seriously enunciating in accented English, but that won’t carry you through 90 minutes. He is still crazy Werner Herzog, interviewing scientists and asking about caveman dreams. One of the scientists is a former circus performer too. He also wants the explorers to be silent in the caves and listen to their own heartbeats.

The scientists create a story of the caveman. They notice a handprint with a distinct finger so they know it’s the same caveman. Analyzing the paintings reveals that some overlapping drawings were made 5000 years apart, so that’s how long these cultures were making their art.

I know, I know, it’s art. I’m supposed to broaden my mind outside the confines of mainstream narratives. Look, I’ve watched Herzog drag a ship across a country in real time. You’d just have to be a geology buff to care at all about empty caves.

Although there is no start date for filming and no studio (yet) backing this potentially expensive film, Hezog has never had a problem bringing a film in on (or usually under) budget. The director, always a total workhorse, has two other projects in development, but knowing Herzog, expect this film to be completed and released in the next week, and expect it to feature raw, unbridled intensity. And also Naomi Watts! (The Playlist)

One possible complaint about this trailer is that the narration of Werner Herzog, owner of one of the best voices in all of movie history and narrator of Cave of Forgotten Dreams is nowhere to be heard in this. You can still hear him talking at the beginning, though. But the absence of his narration is is a real shame, because Herzog’s voice is one of the best parts of past documentaries like Little Dieter Needs to Fly and Lessons of Darkness. So if you’re on the fence about seeing this, remember that the movie will be even better thanks to Herzog’s voice. Oh, and it’s in 3D, if you care about that (MovieLine).

Director: Werner Herzog

Cast: Charles Fathy, Werner Herzog

Synopsis: Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.

Release Date: March 25, 2011

Director: Werner Herzog

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer

Synopsis: “Port of Call” stars Cage as the not-good Lieutenant and Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Coolidge, Xhibit and Fairuza Balk as the people who helps him be not so good.

Genre: Drama

Release Date: December 2, 2009