Franck Gastambide wants to shed light on MMA. A still controversial martial art in France, the sport has only been legalized since 2020 in France. Passionate about this discipline, the director practices it himself at an amateur level in his free time. So, four years later Validwhich was a hit on Canal+ during confinement, the director offers The Cage on Netflix. The series follows in the footsteps of Taylor, an amateur fighter who climbs the ranks in an effort to reach the top in his career. If MMA enthusiasts should appreciate the references and the numerous guests present in the series (Ciryl Gane, Georges Saint-Pierre, Jon Jones…), Franck Gastambide also wants to introduce his sport to laymen: “I have a lot of hope that this series will allow lots of people who don't know this sport to understand it and I also hope to love it“, declared to 7 Days TV the one who also stars in the series playing Boss, the coach.
For his casting, Franck Gastambide left nothing to chance. Fan of Melvin Boomer since his appearance in the series The World of Tomorrow in 2022, the director did everything to attract the actor. For 7 Days TVthe native of Melun explained his method for securing the services of the actor: “I go to watch this series and suddenly I see this little guy. Even before the end of the first episode, I sent a message to my casting director who was in charge of seeing people before offering them to me, I told him: “We need to talk about this guy. » He said to me: “I was planning to talk to you about it later, because when he arrives, it's going to be a problem for the others. I wanted you to see others before…” I think we’re going to forget the others!“
How Franck Gastambide chose Melvin Boomer
Afterwards, a long processor kicked in before Melvin Boomer took on the role of Taylor: “A lot of time passed between the moment I wanted it to be him and the moment I completely made up my mind. I had found my actor, but there was a very important step, which is that being the lead in this series requires not only being a good actor, but also a credible fighter.“, specifies Franck Gastambide. “Like Validé, where you had to be a good actor and a good rapper. So I entrusted it to my personal coaches. The first tests were good and then he worked very hard to make him look like a real fighter.“
For his part, Melvin Boomer did not hesitate in the face of Franck Gastambide's proposal: “Franck calls me on my birthday to tell me that I'm taken, it was a hell of a gift. In reality, it's the first series on MMA, and what's more, it's a French series. To be able to tell the story of this sport that I have seen with my own eyes since I was little, to be able to play a role as beautiful as that of Taylor… In addition, there is this thing of dyslexia which comes into account, and that particularly touches me to be able to talk about it. To show that where you have difficulties, you have facilities in other things. The character was complete, the story was crazy, the scenario appealed to me straight away, so I didn't really have any questions to ask myself.”
