Nicolas Cage Has A Problem With Face/Off 2
While we would all love to see Nicolas Cage return in a potential Face/Off sequel or reboot, the actor has one big issue with it being made.
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We are all patiently waiting to see Nicolas Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. However, the actor was recently interviewed about some of his past fan-favorite ventures. Those ventures include National Treasure and Face/Off. Disney+ is currently creating a Nation Treasure series, which is said to be an extension of the original film franchise. Cage has not been approached about starring or appearing in the series. When asked about Face/Off going through a reboot and if he would want to see that happen, the actor claimed “Would [Face/Off 2] be an exciting movie to make? Oh, hell yeah. But John Woo was such a huge voice in that movie. It couldn’t be a remake. I think these filmmakers even said as much — that something like that would have to be a sequel.”
Nicolas Cage backing up John Woo is certainly warranted, considering the man’s vision made Face/Off one of the biggest films of the 90s. The over-the-top action of the film and all his other works makes Woo one of the best directors in that genre. It makes sense that Cage would not want to be part of a reboot that didn’t involve Woo in some capacity. He also makes a huge point in that the film should be considered a sequel if Woo was to be brought back on. However, the new version of Face/Off is still currently in the early production stages. Simon Barrett is tasked with writing the new script with Adam Wingard directing. The film might still be too early on in the developmental stages, that they haven’t asked or pitched the sequel to Cage.
If the Face/Off film goes forward, Nicolas Cage might not want to be a part of it unless John Woo is brought on in some capacity. If Barrett and Wingard were to bring him on as a producer, that might help smooth things out for the former Castor Troy/Sean Archer actor. John Woo would be hard to get as he has famously been directing Asian cinema since 2003. The man hasn’t been involved in any sort of project for the United States, up until it was announced he would return to direct a film called Silent Night. The film is starring Suicide Squad star, Joel Kinnaman. The story is that of a father who loses his son, then heads into the underworld to avenge his death. The film will be without dialogue. This must be a great picture considering John Woo has agreed to return.
Nicolas Cage understands the value of having someone like John Woo behind the camera or at least involved in some sort of consulting-type position. Quite honestly, it would be strange to have a new-age Face/Off film without the theatrics and fantastic dialogue that existed in the first film. While there are tons of films getting rebooted that should never be touched, some reboots can be successfully done. Think about Dredd. Being able to see Cage in another Face/Off movie would certainly be well worth it in terms of feeling nostalgic, but it sounds as if he has made up his mind about how and why he would ever join that project. Maybe Woo can be convinced to produce and we get to see a sequel to arguably one of the best action classics from the 1990s.
