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‘Face/Off’ Sequel Loses Director Adam Wingard
‘Face/Off’ Sequel Loses Director Adam Wingard

Paramount is developing a follow-up to John Woo's 1997 action favorite that starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.

The Hollywood Reporter
Feb 22 at 9:23amWeb
Show threadworkerONEFeb 22
Face off 2. Two faces off
Show threadmannycalaveraFeb 22
Face Off 2: Who?
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2 Fast 2 Face-Off
Show threadJoël de BruijnFeb 22
Dawn of the Planet of the Face/Offs
Show threadMimicJarFeb 23

So I’m never going to 100% say no to a sequel, but this is probably the closest you can get.

First off, you need a story to tell. Face Off tells a ridiculous story that is absolutely wild. You can’t just “face off” again in the sequel. You’d have to find a way to body swap but in a whole new way, likely one that wouldn’t even make sense with the title.

Second, the primary antagonist is dead. So now you need to retcon the ending, which is usually a bad sign.

Third, no clear mention that the original cast is returning. I struggle to find a sequel without the original cast that worked.

Fourth, it’s too many years later. You can sometimes make years later sequels work, Blade Runner 2049 comes to mind, maybe a few others, but that list is short.

Show threadmindbleachFeb 23

Surely it would be another excuse for the central gimmick, starring two modern actors eager to mimic one another.

Frankly that’s better as a series of comedy sketches. Turn ‘doing a Face/Off’ into a recurring bit, like for SNL short films. Two-scene before-and-after pairings of actors with something to say about each others’ careers. Occasionally involving Nicolas Cage anyway, because apparently he’s still broke.