‘Best Pancakes In The County’: IFC Picks Up Domestic Rights To Nicolas Cage, Justin Long & Shelley Hennig Action-Thriller; First Look Revealed

EXCLUSIVE: Independent Film Company has acquired U.S. rights to Best Pancakes In The County, the action-thriller written and directed by Ken Sanzel (Kill Chain) and starring Nicolas Cage (Longlegs), Justin Long (Weapons) and Shelley Hennig (Unfriended).

The deal was negotiated by Mark Ward, Chief Acquisitions Officer for Independent Film Company and Eduard Osipov at Beno Films on behalf of the filmmakers. Pic will be released in theaters and on digital platforms November 20, 2026.

The synopsis reads: “Set over the course of one explosive night, Best Pancakes In The County transforms an unassuming small-town diner into the epicenter of a deadly standoff involving rogue federal agents, a fast-talking con man with a dangerous past and a waitress harboring secrets of her own. As loyalties blur and tensions erupt, survival depends on who can outthink — and outgun — everyone else.”

Cage stars as “The S.O.B., an eccentric and cunning criminal caught in the escalating confrontation”. Below is a first-look image.

The film reunites Sanzel with Cage following their collaboration on the 2019 action thriller Kill Chain. Long plays Cookie and Hennig is Dolly. The ensemble cast also includes Lauren German (Lucifer), Ravi Patel (Animal Control), Brandon Mychal Smith (Get On Up), Kelly Greyson (Sleeping Dogs), Jaylen Moore (Six), and Michael Sirow (Sleeping Dogs).

The movie was filmed in Arkansas and is produced by Eduard Osipov, Raja Collins, Eric Brenner, Niko Fomenko, Gary Preisler and R. Wesley Sierk III. Executive producers include John D. Straley, Audra Gricius, Jina Panebianco, Lance Kawas, Ahmed S. Boomrod, Eugene Pruss, and Nadine de Barros. The film is produced by Beno Films and backed by CaliWood Pictures, with Fortitude International handling international sales.

“Best Pancakes In The County is exactly the kind of eccentric and wildly entertaining ride that Nicolas Cage does better than anyone else,” said IFC Entertainment Group’s Chief Acquisition Officer, Mark Ward. “Ken has built a tense, funny and unpredictable thriller around a fantastic ensemble, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience the chaos this November.”

“Working with Nic again was an opportunity to create a character who could be funny, dangerous and completely unpredictable from one moment to the next,” said writer-director Sanzel. “And then he took it to wilder and more unexpected places than I could have imagined. We wanted to take this seemingly ordinary diner, fill it with people with dueling and hidden agendas, juxtapose the threat of violence with the urgency of getting breakfast orders right, and keep turning up the pressure until everything explodes. IFC immediately understood the fast, fun tone of the film, and I’m excited to have them bringing it to audiences.”