Is the action-star era over? Why we may never see another Nicolas Cage or Bruce Willis

The new Nicolas Cage movie starts how every Nicolas Cage movie should start: with someone worshipping at the cinematic altar of Nicolas Cage.

The extremely meta comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (in theaters Friday) begins with a young woman watching the end of 1997’s “Con Air” and fangirling over Cage, only for Hollywood star "Nick Cage" (he plays a fictionalized version of himself) to spring into action in an adventure that pays tribute to Cage’s colorful career.

As Cage's character revisits the real Nic's iconic filmography, it acts as a celebration as well as a reminder that the golden era of blockbuster action heroes is seemingly coming to a close – and that archetype may be gone for good soon. Cage is still a busy thespian, although he plays mostly in the on-demand sandbox these days. The same is true for Bruce Willis, whose recent aphasia diagnosis means we may never see the “Die Hard” icon onscreen again after the release of his already-completed films (including "Fortress: Sniper's Eye," out April 29). And with one infamous Oscar slap, Will Smith pretty much took himself off the board for the foreseeable future.

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Those of us raised on their films in the 1980s and ‘90s didn’t have the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a never-ending “Fast and Furious” franchise. These macho guys and others were the franchise. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes and Chuck Norris all had epic runs bringing two-fisted, explosive fury down on big-screen bad guys (and sometimes playing the heavy). Who needs “Batman v Superman”? We had Stallone and Kurt Russell in “Tango & Cash” and Willis and Damon Wayans in “The Last Boy Scout.” Back in the day, you came for the A-list action star on the marquee and didn’t need a sequel because you knew they’d be whupping posterior in some other film soon enough. Over just two summers, Cage starred in three of his best flicks: “The Rock,” “Con Air” and “Face/Off.”

OK, so those movies weren’t meant to be Oscar winners, and usually the only thing “progressive” about them was an increasing body count. But, hoo boy, were they a blast to watch (and honestly still are) as we talked our parents into letting us see R-rated movies at a formative age.

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Who didn’t wear out their VHS tapes (ask your Gen X loved ones what that is) of “Predator” watching Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse “The Body” Ventura? Smith smacking aliens (instead of comedians) in “Independence Day” will always be a joy to behold. The Cage remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds” is chock-full of car-stealing, scenery-chewing camp. And “Over the Top,” starring Sylvester Stallone as a competitive arm-wrestling trucker dad, is so silly it shouldn’t work but does anyway.

The halcyon days of mainstream action-movie legends are done to a certain degree. For one, audiences come to big franchise films for the characters more than who’s playing them. Chris Pratt is known much better for his Marvel and “Jurassic World” work than, say, “The Tomorrow War.” Similarly, “The Losers” and “Push” didn’t make Chris Evans a household name – being Captain America did.

Whereas the old-school guys immersed themselves in different sorts of action films, today's generation of movie stars tend to go more for high-profile superhero films. Original action films are still being made, just mainly in the direct-to-video space where Cage and tough-guy actors like Frank Grillo and Michael Jai White thrive. Reagan-era cult classics such as Stallone’s “Cobra,” Schwarzenegger’s “Commando” and Norris’ “Invasion U.S.A.” probably wouldn’t even merit a theatrical run if made now.

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Consequently, today's stars aren't getting the same chance to shine in a wide variety of action roles, at least not to the level of a Schwarzenegger, Smith or Willis.

The potential is certainly there for actors to take the ball and run with it. Tom Hardy is probably the closest thing to his generation's Cage, a chameleon who has notched an all-timer with "Mad Max: Fury Road," starred in the hit "Venom" movies but has also been game for punchier stuff like "Warrior" and "Bronson." Henry Cavill, who's Stallone-esque in terms of talent and build, went from being Superman to Netflix's "Witcher" and hasn't had a shot to own something original. Michael B. Jordan and Anthony Mackie have made their marks in Marvel films – and in Jordan's case, inherited the "Rocky" franchise with the "Creed" movies – plus dabbled in the action game, though neither have found their breakout roles in that space the way Charlize Theron has with “Fury Road,” “Atomic Blonde” and Netflix’s “The Old Guard."

For some, going the franchise route is just safer. While Tom Holland boasts a boatload of charisma, gymnastic skills and a loyal fan following, he has had a spotty record outside Spider-Man films: The video-game adventure “Uncharted” was a hit, yet his sci-fi fantasy “Chaos Walking” with Daisy Ridley flopped.

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There are some dudes keeping the tradition alive, though, most notably the one-man franchise called Tom Cruise. He’ll stay a legend as long as he keeps doing insane “Mission: Impossible” stunts, Jason Statham is definitely a throwback to Van Damme and Norris, and Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson both sport a certain high-profile plug-and-play value. However, the thing with a lot of the blockbuster veterans is their age. Cage continues to be spry at 58, we wish we all could be doing crazy stuff like Cruise is at 59, yet Schwarzenegger and Stallone are both in their 70s now.

Which is why those moviegoers of a certain age – and a younger generation of fans who watch "Massive Talent" and want to bask in Cage's glory afterward – need to embrace the now-fleeting times when we get to see those stalwart heroes in action. Russell strutting his stuff as the coolest Santa ever in those Netflix “Christmas Chronicles” films is a hoot, and so is Cage brandishing the nifty gold “Face/Off” guns in his new movie.

He and his ilk are the kind of massive talents we may never seen again.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Massive Talent': Why Nicolas Cage's era of action heroes may be over