‘Face/Off’ Is Getting a Modern Remake
Face/Off is getting a modern facelift.
Almost 25 years after its initial release — directed by John Woo at the height of his powers, and starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta at the height of their ... whatever the hell they were doing in this glorious movie — the ’90s action classic is prepping a reboot. Although reports of a new Face/Off first emerged back in 2019, with writer Oren Uziel working on the script, now the project is moving in a new direction with a new director.
That would be Adam Wingard, who’s made stuff like You’re Next and The Guest and directed the Godzilla vs. Kong headed to theaters and HBO Max next month. Here’s more, from Deadline:
Wingard will write the script with his scripting partner Simon Barrett and the studio will reboot the film, with new cast. Neal Moritz will produce and David Permut will be executive producer. Oren Uziel had been part of the equation when Paramount set up the remake last fall, but the understanding is Wingard and Barrett are starting from scratch.
As I said the first time this project was in the news: I don’t get it. Face/Off was not a movie; it was an excuse for John Woo to unleash his full wild action energy, backed by unhinged performances by John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. When you strip all of that out, what’s left? A premise about a cop and a criminal somehow swapping their faces and perfectly passing for each other. I really have a hard time imagining it working. But I’d love to be wrong.
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