From Rejections to Cult Glory: How Face/Off Became Nicolas Cage’s Most Legendary Role
Nicolas Cage Almost Skipped Face/Off—Until John Woo’s Bold Pitch Made It an Action Classic (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Nicolas Cage didn’t exactly leap at Face/Off when it first crossed his table. In fact, he politely declined. However, leave it to director John Woo to flip the script. Woo cleverly pitched the film to Cage as a cerebral mind-bender, not the bullet-fueled, identity-swapping spectacle it truly was. And the result was that Cage signed on, and the rest is history. The 1997 cult hit went on to score 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, pulled in box office glory, and landed Cage and John Travolta in what many fans still call their best roles. But that road to casting was nothing sort of a wild ride!

This is How Nicolas Cage Tricked Into Iconic Role in Face/Off

Before it became a late-’90s action masterpiece, Face/Off was pitched with a totally different lineup in mind. Hollywood’s go-to muscleheads, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, were originally eyed for the top billing (per Film ‘89). That’s right, Arnie and Sly could’ve swapped identities. The concept was cold, indeed. But the execution never happened. Creative wires got crossed, and that version parted quietly.

Then came a new idea: Johnny Depp. Yep, Pirates of the Caribbean’s own Captain Jack showed brief interest in stepping into Sean Archer’s shoes. But once Depp skimmed the screenplay, he reportedly lost interest and ghosted the project. According to behind-the-scenes chatter, the script just didn’t quite align with Depp’s taste at the time.

Eventually, Face/Off found its cinematic soul in John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Travolta signed on early, while Cage wasn’t sold at first. According to Yard Barker, Cage originally stepped away from the offer, mainly because he wasn’t too thrilled about stepping into a villain’s shoes. But once it was laid out that he’d actually be playing the hero (Agent Sean Archer) just wearing the criminal’s face for most of the runtime, things shifted. That switch-up sparked his interest, and he eventually got on board.

The gamble worked. Face/Off was released in 1997, crushed the opening weekend, and finished its theatrical run with over $245 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). It earned itself critical praise, cult status, and a boatload of awards and attention.

At the Oscars, Face/Off scored a nod for Best Sound Effects Editing. Meanwhile, the Saturn Awards handed Woo the Best Director prize and honored the film’s script with Best Writing. MTV also awarded the film for Best Action Sequence and Best On-Screen Duo.

Fast forward to 2019, and the face-swapping legacy isn’t done yet. Paramount officially announced that a sequel is in active development. Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is steering the ship with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett writing. And yes, both original leads are open to returning. Speaking to Empire, Wingard confirmed it in 2022:

“We’re really honing in on it. We’re not going to share it until everybody’s like, ‘This is the one.’ “I think we really got it. It has been probably the most challenging script we’ve ever worked on, for a lot of reasons. There’s so much pressure in wanting to make sure that it lives up to the legacy of that project. But every draft you have these things that just click in, and you’re like, ‘A-ha! That’s really what Face/Off is!’”

According to a spring 2024 interview on The Fourth Wall Podcast (per SYFW), director Adam Wingard hinted that the original Face/Off stars are likely coming back.

“The only way that we’re going to do this really is if we get, you know, the original cast. I’m not going to say how it works or anything, but like, it’s got to be 100% the real follow-up — not just some fan service movie, not just some ca-ching [cash grab] thing. This has to feel like the ultimate follow-up to the original film.”

For more such stories, check out Hollywood News

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