New Face/Off Director Confirms New Film an “Absolute Sequel” to Original

When dormant franchises are revived, audiences can often be confused over whether new entries are reboots, reimaginings, or direct sequels, with director of the upcoming Face/Off sequel reminding fans that the new film is an “absolute sequel” to the 1997 John Woo movie. This update echoes previous remarks the filmmaker has made about the project, but the nature of storytelling means that something that is billed as a sequel could ultimately become a spiritual reboot, though Wingard made it quite clear that the goal of the narrative he’s crafting with writer Simon Barrett is to continue the story of the original film. The new Face/Off does not yet have a release date.

While speaking with Empire, Wingard confirmed the new film is “an absolute sequel” that aims to bring back Nicolas Cage. The original film came at a time when Cage’s star power was hitting its peak, with Wingard pointing out how the development of the sequel seems to line up with another career resurgence.

“He’s just having such a moment. Even before Pig came out, we saw this as a Nicolas Cage movie,” the filmmaker confirmed. “That’s become totally the obvious way to go now. A couple of years ago, the studio maybe would have wanted a hot, young, up-and-coming actor or something. Now, Nicolas Cage is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood again.”

The original film saw John Travolta’s Sean Archer participating in a groundbreaking medical procedure that allowed him to literally wear the face of terrorist Castor Troy (Cage) to get details about an upcoming attack. Troy then forces a doctor to put him through the same procedure, allowing him to take on the appearance of Archer, as the two then engage in a game of cat and mouse where only they know their real identities.

“We’re really honing in on it,” Wingard says of the script’s status. “We’re not going to share it until everybody’s like, ‘This is the one.’”

While stars of the original have expressed a willingness to take part in the project, the script isn’t yet at a point for them to approve their involvement.

“I think we really got it,” Wingard professed. “It has been probably the most challenging script we’ve ever worked on, for a lot of reasons. There’s so much pressure in wanting to make sure that it lives up to the legacy of that project. But every draft you have these things that just click in, and you’re like, ‘A-ha! That’s really what Face/Off is!’”

Stay tuned for updates on the Face/Off sequel.

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