Last year, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent offered Nicolas Cage’s followers a delightful opportunity to revisit his most memorable characters in an ingeniously amusing, self-reflective manner. The completed work was nothing less than a triumph, a cinematic homage to one of the last true originals of Hollywood. Among the roles highlighted was Cage’s iconic performance as Castor Troy in the cult classic Face/Off.
For some time now, there has been speculation about a sequel to Face/Off — John Woo’s unforgettable 1997 action movie where Cage quite literally squared off with John Travolta. Cage confirmed last year that preliminary discussions about a potential sequel had taken place. Fast forward to today, and Cage is providing more insight into what fans might expect from a second round of face-swapping excitement.
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During a promotional tour for his western, The Old Way, Cage connected with FilmSweep’s Steve Weintraub back in January. When probed about his interest in reprising the role and the possibility of it happening under the direction of Adam Wingard, Cage shared an encouraging update on the progress. The actor disclosed that his early conversations about the movie featured a plot involving Castor Troy and Sean Archer’s children who, predictably, end up facing off against each other. Cage added a twist involving their fathers’ roles in the narrative:
“Face/Off as a sequel has a lot of scope for unpredictability and plot twists. Imagine introducing the concept of descendants and Castor and Sean becoming fathers, and these children grow up — it transforms into something akin to three-dimensional chess. Then it’s not just about Travolta and me, but it involves four players maneuvering at varying levels, which amplifies the complexity. I believe there’s a lot of potential there. I had perhaps one office meeting, but there’s been no further communication, so I’m not sure.”
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Nicolas Cage Expresses Interest in a ‘Face/Off’ Sequel
If this sequel concept sounds too outlandish to be real, Cage’s statements were corroborated on Twitter by the movie’s co-writer Simon Barrett, as reported by Gizmodo. Barrett acknowledged that Cage had indeed spilled the beans: “He did, it’s super cool, and we’re both honored he seems to like our idea.”
Cage also had high praise for the idea of Wingard succeeding Woo as the director, having recently completed a film that pitted two other cinema legends against each other. “He’s fantastic, and I think we share similar tastes,” Cage expressed. “We have comparable sensibilities. I appreciated everything he did with Godzilla vs. Kong, and I believe he’s intelligent. He respects cinema and various forms of iconography. I think it would be awesome.”
What Was the Original Face/Off About?
The first Face/Off was an unhinged combination of 90s action and typical Woo—slow motion, dual pistols, face-swapping tricks, an undercover FBI agent entering prison impersonating his most wanted foe, with Cage at his eccentric best and Travolta essentially embodying Cage. The plot seems implausible, but the dedication of all involved has transformed it into a timeless classic after a quarter-century.
Stay connected with FilmSweep for more updates on the Face/Off sequel. Don’t miss our interview with Cage below; you can stream The Old Way on various platforms now.
