Last year's release of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent gave Nicolas Cage fans the chance to revisit his most iconic roles in an incredibly entertaining, self-aware way. The finished product was a masterpiece and the only way you could truly pay tribute, in cinematic form, to one of Hollywood's last true originals. One of the roles that was prominently featured in the film was his role as Castor Troy in the cult classic Face/Off.
Rumors of a sequel to Face/Off—the iconic John Woo action film from 1997, in which Cage quite literally faced off against John Travolta—have swirled for some time, with Cage revealing last year that he'd had initial discussions over a potential sequel. That was then, and now, Cage has given fans more information on what they can expect from a second helping of face-swapping thunder.
Collider's Steve Weintraub caught up with Cage on the promotional trail for his Western The Old Way back in January, and when asked about Cage's interest in returning to the role, as well as the likelihood of it happening under director Adam Wingard, Cage offered the positive-sounding update on progress. The actor revealed that his initial discussions for the film included a plot that would feature Castor Troy and Sean Archer having children who grow up destined to, yes, face off against each other. There's an added twist as well about how their fathers play into the story. As Cage explained:
"I think Face/Off is a sequel that lends itself to a lot of twists and turns and unpredictability. It's almost like if you factor in the idea of offspring and Castor and Sean having children and these children grow up, then it becomes like three-dimensional chess, and then it's not just the two, John Travolta and myself, it's four of us ping-ponging and going at different levels, and it becomes even more complex. I think there's a lot of fertile ground there. I had maybe one meeting in an office, but I haven't heard anything since, so I don't know."
In case that all sounds too bizarre to be true for the sequel, the star’s comments would be confirmed on Twitter per Gizmodo by the film’s co-writer Simon Barrett who admitted Cage let the cat out of the bag. “He did, it’s super cool, and we’re both honored he seems to like our idea.”
Cage also spoke warmly on the prospect of Wingard taking over the director's seat from Woo, having recently finished a movie that showcased two other cinematic legends battling against one another. "He's great, and I think we share similar tastes," Cage added. "We have similar sensibilities. I liked everything he did with Godzilla vs. Kong and I think that he's smart. He has respect for cinema and various kinds of iconography. I think it would be great."
What Was Face/Off All About?
The original Face/Off was a demented example of 1990s action combined with classic Woo—slow motion, dual pistols, face-swapping shenanigans, an undercover FBI agent entering prison in the guise of his most wanted adversary, with Cage at his most Cage and Travolta essentially playing Cage as well. The plot shouldn't work, but the commitment to the film by all parties has turned it into a stone-cold classic 25 years on.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the Face/Off sequel. Check out our chat with Cage below; you can stream The Old Way on various platforms now.