After 24 Long Years, Face/Off Is Getting A Sequel

Paramount Pictures has chosen You’re Next and Godzilla Vs. Kong director Adam Wingard to helm its re-imagining of Face/Off, the 1997 John Woo-directed action thriller that starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Wingard will write the script with his scripting partner Simon Barrett and the studio will reboot the film, with new cast. Neal Moritz will produce and David Permut will be executive producer.

As a note, Wingard corrected the original report that this was a re-imagining to say that it was actually a sequel. 

Face/Off remains one of the quintessential 90s action movies AND one of the quintessential John Woo movies. Castor Troy is one of the great bad guys in action movie history and one of the all-time Nic Cage roles.

It's one of those movies that you just assume had 3 or 4 direct-to-video sequels that nobody watched, but it doesn't! And while I would be opposed to a remake, I'm all about this idea for a sequel. The question is, where does this franchise go? Apparently, the leads are to be recast, so you can't depend too much on the nostalgia factor. The idea of replacing someones face was an easy thing for audience to suspend their disbelief over, but it might be a little harder in the 2020s. Do you go full camp? How do you make this work?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I do like the selection of Adam Wingard as director. One of the great things about the original was the big budget production value, and I'd like to think that the guy that made Godzilla vs Kong knows a thing or two about that. You need a few things to make this great: You need to nail the recasting of Troy & Archer (Or really bring back Cage & Travolta because they would obviously do it), you need to toe that line of corny action movie and schlock, and you need some fantastic action movies.