Nicolas Cage Sequel Was Too Confusing For The Studio To Understand
A Nicolas Cage sequel was way too confusing for the studio to understand when they were first presented with the script. Changes were needed
John Woo’s cerebral action film Face/Off (1997) was perhaps one of both Nicolas Cage’s and John Travolta’s most revered roles of the decade. Its mind-bending but expertly executed plot was enough to garner the film an impressive amount of success at the box office when it was released, as well as lasting popularity with fans. In fact, its popularity has endured so much so that fans have long expressed their desire for a sequel. According to Screen Rant, Face/Off 2 is finally in the works, it just took two years and a 35-page explanation of the film’s plot in order for Paramount executives to give it the green light.
Coming off of his success generated by the blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), director Adam Wingard teamed up with writer Simon Barrett to develop an initial script for Face/Off 2. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Wingard revealed that they wanted to create a sequel so that they could find a way to continue the story of both Sean Archer (John Travolta) and Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). However, he revealed that when they initially approached studio executives with their script the latter ended up being too confused to even understand the plot. Ultimately, it took two years and a very detailed explanation of who was who with what face and in what scene before he was given the go-ahead to begin developing a sequel.
After receiving the go-ahead, Wingard noted that the movie is now in “active development” and that it is currently in the script revision phase. He expressed that they brought on another writer, Neil Moritz, to help with the revisions and that thus far he is very pleased with the direction that the story seems to be taking. Any specific plot details have yet to be revealed, but the fact that Wingard has mentioned continuing Archer and Troy’s story could indicate that they are looking to bring back both John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. It will certainly be interesting to see how they circumnavigate Castor Troy’s death at the end of the first film. However, given that Face/Off 2 is still in the very early stages of development, it is unclear if either actor has been approached about reprising their roles in the film.
Casting for the film is still likely to be a ways off. However, given that both original actors received a lot of praise for their performances in the first Face/Off film, it could entice both seasoned Hollywood legends to come back for a second round. In fact, Nicolas Cage even had a small part in the creative process for the first film. Perhaps those involved with developing the sequel could offer Nicolas Cage even more creative freedom with a second a go at the character. This could be enough to get him interested in taking on the project.
Whether fans will get to see Nicolas Cage as Troy or John Travolta as Archer or even vice versa still remains in question, and it will likely be a while before there is a definitive answer. However, what could be more likely is that fans get to see Nicolas Cage reprise the role of another fan-favorite character. Giant Freakin Robot exclusively learned that Kevin Feige has taken steps to have Nicolas Cage come back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ghost Rider. Thus, regardless if Cage ends up reprising one or both roles, fans certainly have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.
