One of the strangest action movies of the 1990s (if not of all-time), John Woo’s Face/Off features Nicolas Cage and John Travolta swapping identities and losing their grip on reality. The 1997 thriller was a big hit upon release, bringing in about $245 million at the box office on a budget of $80 million and has remained a firm favorite among fans of the genre ever since.
There’ve been whisperings of a reboot/remake of some sort for a while now and it seems the project is still in development, as Deadline brings word today that Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard will step behind the camera to helm. He’ll also write the script with Simon Barrett, while Neal Moritz will produce and David Permut will act as executive producer. Unfortunately, though, no casting has been announced just yet.
If you’ve never seen the original – and if that’s the case, you should really fix that – Face/Off saw Travolta and Cage facing off against one another after assuming the other’s identity by changing their face. While the premise might sound a bit cheesy by today’s standards, it was 1990s action cinema at its peak and brought us countless jaw-dropping set pieces and a truly wild ride.
As for who could star in this remake, that’s the million dollar question. There’s been a loud cry for Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman to take the roles ever since the project first sprung into existence, but it remains to be seen if the studio would be on board with that idea.
In any case, Wingard is a talented guy and if he can update Face/Off to fit into the modern climate while still retaining what made it such a fun ride originally, Paramount could be onto a big hit here. As always, watch this space for more.
