First things first.

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is not a sequel or a re-do.

"It's not a remake," director Werner Herzog told journalists early this morning.

In fact, he tried to have "Bad Lieutenant" removed from the title.

"Why did it have to have that title?" he asked producers. But it was a battle he lost and the title stays.

So, for his part, Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage tried to live up to the film's name.

"I knew (with a flim called Bad Lieutenant) people would want to see a train wreck of a personality," Cage said, describing his bad cop, bad cop character.

He also added how the city itself seeped into his performance.

"It's important to recognize New Orleans as a character in the film. It's the birthplace of jazz and it was a comfortable experience to improvise in."

It wasn't Cage's first time working there. He made his directorial debut shooting "Sonny" on Bourbon Street in 2002.

"I was born in Los Angeles, but you can say I was reborn in New Orleans," he said. "It was a mystical thing that I don't want to talk about."

He did add that he is trying to establish residency there. "My Academy Award is in a moving truck somewhere on the way there," he smiled.

At this point in his career, Cage has played virtually every type of role and he sees no end in sight.

"It's becoming more of a calling where I feel I need to quell my selfish passions," he said.

"I want to connect with children and adults, but my base is drama," he added. "I like to do stories about people who are broken in some way."