‘Face/Off’ Reboot in the Works, John Travolta and Nicolas Cage Not Returning

Face/Off, the 1997 action hit starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, is getting a reboot. Paramount Pictures has already assigned Oren Uziel to work on the script, with Fast & Furious producer Neal Mortiz producing. The new film will have a completely new cast, according to Deadline.

The original film starred Travolta as FBI agent Sean Archer, who wants to track down homicidal villain Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). He goes to incredible lengths to stop Troy, even getting facial transplant surgery before going into a prison to find out where a bomb is and stop an attack. The plan does not go well, as Castor gets Sean’s original face, and starts wreaking havoc with a face that looks curiously like an actor who was in Grease.

The film is packed with action set pieces, as anyone watching a film directed by John Woo should expect. It was the biggest hit of Woo’s career, taking in $245 million worldwide.

Mike Werb and Michael Colleary wrote the original film, which was nominated for the Best Sound Effects Oscar. The new movie will be written by Uziel, whose credits include 22 Jump Street, The Cloverfield Paradox and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog.

Mortiz is a prolific producer and has worked on every movie in the Fast & Furious franchise. His other credits include S.W.A.T., Passengers, Goosebumps, 22 Jump Street and Out of Time.

David Permut will executive produce the new movie. Permut was an executive producer on Face/Off and was nominated for an Oscar as producer on Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge.

The Face/Off remake is the latest move from Paramount to mine its back catalog for new projects. The studio is also working on two more Mission: Impossible movies, which are being filmed back to back. Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise blockbuster, will hit theaters on June 26, 2020.

Paramount is getting ready to shoot Mission: Impossible 7, with Cruise returning as Ethan Hunt. Hayley Atwell, who stars as Agent Carter in the Marvel movies, was cast in an unknown role last week. Christopher McQuarrie, who helped Mission: Impossible – Fallout last year, is directing.

Mission: Impossible 7 hits theaters on July 23, 2021. M:I 8 will follow on Aug. 5, 2022.

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