Nicolas Cage’s Long-Awaited Sci-Fi Cult Classic Sequel Hits Major Setback 29 Years Later

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The highly anticipated sequel to the popular 90s film Face/Off, starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, has hit a significant snag after years of being in the works.

Nearly thirty years after the original Face/Off hit theaters, Paramount is moving forward with a sequel. Plans began in 2019 with producers David Permut and Neal Moritz, and in 2021, Adam Wingard was confirmed as director and co-writer alongside Simon Barrett for Face/Off 2.

Plans have changed for the sci-fi sequel because actor Wingard is no longer involved, as reported by Collider.

Paramount Pictures is currently revising its plans for Face/Off 2. The studio is allowing multiple directors to present their ideas and visions for the film, hoping to find the right person to direct it. This is being described as an open call for directors.

Before taking on Face/Off 2, director Adam Wingard had already established himself with films like Blair Witch and Godzilla vs. Kong. He followed those up with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, released in 2024. He also recently directed a horror film called Onslaught for A24, which is currently awaiting release.

The reason he’s stepped down as director of the Face/Off sequel isn’t known for sure, but Collider reports that his packed work schedule and the long time spent in pre-production probably played a part.

As a huge action movie fan, I remember when Face/Off came out in June 1997. It absolutely blew up at the box office, actually opening bigger than Disney’s Hercules! It ended up making over $245 million worldwide, which is incredible. But more than that, critics loved it – it’s still got a fantastic 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and audiences give it an 82%, which proves it really holds up!

Both audiences and critics praised the acting of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in their roles as Agent Sean Archer and the terrorist Castor Troy. The story centers around a daring plan where the two swap faces through surgery after Troy falls into a coma. However, things take an unexpected turn when Troy recovers and uses the face transplant to his advantage, leaving Archer in a dangerous situation.

Before directing Face/Off, John Woo had already made several films, including Hard Target and Broken Arrow, which also starred John Travolta. He continued his career by directing movies like Mission: Impossible 2, Windtalkers (featuring Nicolas Cage), Paycheck, Silent Night, and The Killer, to name a few.

Woo won a Saturn Award for directing Face/Off, and the film also won an award for its screenplay. Additionally, Face/Off was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing.

Following his role in Face/Off, Nicolas Cage appeared in a variety of films including Gone in 60 Seconds, Adaptation, National Treasure, World Trade Center, Ghost Rider, Snowden, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His next project is an appearance as Spider-Noir in a Prime Video series.

After starring in Face/Off, John Travolta has appeared in several other films, including Primary Colors, Ladder 49, Hairspray, Old Dogs, Gotti, and The People v. O. J. Simpson.

As a huge fan of the original Face/Off, I was really excited when I heard Wingard was potentially directing a sequel – and even more thrilled at the possibility of seeing Cage and Travolta back in their iconic roles, even with how the first movie ended! But now that Paramount seems to be starting completely over, it’s anyone’s guess where they’ll take this sequel. It’s a bit disappointing, honestly, because the initial idea had so much potential.

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2026-02-20 00:58