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Summary
- Face/Off 2 is a direct sequel in development, with a new director and some original actors interested in returning.
- Nicolas Cage has shared a story pitch involving the grown-up children of the original characters engaging in a face-swapping procedure.
- The sequel will address previous plot holes and fix the body-swap mistakes made in the original film.
Face/Off 2 is in the works more than 25 years after the original movie's release, and details on the returning cast, story possibilities, and a new director at the helm are feeding anticipation for the long-awaited sequel. Released in 1997 and directed by Hong Kong action legend John Woo, the movie follows FBI agent Sean Archer, played by John Travolta, in his pursuit of terrorist Castor Troy, played by Nicolas Cage. The plot calls for the two main characters to swap faces, which results in the actors switching roles.
Fans have been anxious for another Face/Off since the original's success, particularly given the potential for other sets of actors to swap parts and essentially play each other. In 2019, Paramount Pictures expressed interest in a Face/Off reboot with a new cast, but that idea was shed only a couple of years later when the studio took a different direction with the project. Now moving ahead as a direct sequel, Face/Off 2 has a writer, a director, and some actors interested in joining the cast, including one of the original stars.
Face/Off 2 Latest News
The Face/Off 2 Director Explains The Movie's Delays
The long-awaited sequel has been stuck in a development rut for years, and the latest news sees Face/Off 2's director explain the movie's delays. While ramping up for the release of his highly-anticipated monster movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, director Adam Wingard also took time to discuss his beleaguered Face/Off 2. Wingard explains that during the production of Godzilla x Kong "we were finishing our draft of the script...And then the writers strike happened."
Wingard went on to say "Right now that’s still inactive, so I think the plan with that one will be that writer will continue working, and whenever that draft is done...we’ll take another crack at it.” As with most legacy sequels, the story is perhaps the most vexing part of Face/Off 2, and it's clear that the film is still stuck in the story development phase. Despite being a confirmed project, it's unclear if the movie will ever actually get made.
Face/Off 2 Is Confirmed
The Sequel Has Been In Development For Quite Some Time
Face/Off 2 is currently in active development at Paramount Pictures. In early 2021, the studio hired Adam Wingard to direct the new Face/Off movie, which was then still thought to be a remake. Wingard, who quickly clarified the movie to be a direct sequel, is also co-writing the screenplay with frequent collaborator Simon Barrett, whom he previously worked with on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire among other projects. Neal H. Moritz was also brought on to the movie as a producer.
Face/Off is available to stream on Paramount+.
Face/Off 2 Cast
Will Cage & Travolta Return?
There is no concrete information on who will be cast in what roles in Face/Off 2, but Nicolas Cage has talked to producer Neal H. Moritz about returning as Castor Troy — even though the character was killed at the end of the original. There is also a chance of John Travolta returning for the Face/Off sequel, according to Adam Wingard, if he's happy with the script. There has not been any word on the possibility of Joan Allen or Dominique Swain reprising their respective roles of Eve and Jamie Archer.
As for potential new cast members and characters, Cage's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent co-star Pedro Pascal has expressed interest in Face/Off 2, if there is a role for him. Pascal is a veteran of action thriller roles, having received immense praise and critical acclaim for his role as Joel in the post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, so he would be a suitable fit for the Face/Off sequel.
Face/Off 2 Story Details
What Will The Sequel Be About?
In 2021, writer Simon Barrett teased that Face/Off 2 has a more complicated story than the original. Since then, actor Nicolas Cage explained that the sequel is likely to involve another face-swapping premise, this time with the original main characters' children. It will be interesting to see how Castor Troy's biological son Adam, who Sean Archer and his family adopted at the end of the first Face/Off, fits into this narrative.
One of the major questions regarding the sequel's plot is how the screenwriters plan to resurrect Castor Troy, who supposedly died at the end of the prequel. However, considering this is a science-fiction franchise involving a huge suspension of disbelief, the solution could be an easy, or at least imaginative, fix. Another plot hole from the first Face/Off that will need fixing is the fact that while the characters' faces get swapped, their bodies remain the same. Fortunately, Adam Wingard has already promised that Face/Off 2 will fix the Face/Off's body-swap mistakes.
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Face/Off 2: Further News & Info
Face/Off 2 Director Says Cage & Travolta Are In Talks To Return - Nicolas Cage Addresses Whether He'll Return In Face/Off 2
