The Face/Off Reboot just took a major step forward. Paramount Pictures is pressing on with the project and they have tapped Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong, Blair Witch) to direct. The project initially came to light in September 2019 and has been coming together behind the scenes ever since. Now, Wingard has been put in charge of reimagining the 90s action classic for modern audiences.
According to multiple reports, Adam Wingard is set to direct and co-write the screenplay for the Face/Off remake. Wingard will work with his frequent collaborator, Simon Barrett, on the script. It is said that the two will be starting from scratch. Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox, 22 Jump Street) had previously been attached. It seems whatever work he had done will not be utilized by the incoming filmmakers. Neal Moritz is set to produce with David Permut on board as an executive producer.
Adam Wingard is known for directing horror movies such as You’re Next and 2016’s Blair Witch, the surprise sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Wingard also worked on the horror anthology series V/H/S, contributing segments to the first two movies. Wingard has moved into the higher-budget realm more recently, having tackled Death Note for Netflix and, most recently, Godzilla vs. Kong for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. The upcoming monster-sized blockbuster will be released both in theaters and on HBO Max at the end of March. Simon Barrett worked with Wingard on many of these projects, as well as The Guest and the upcoming I Saw the Devil.
Face / Off was directed by John Woo. Released in 1997, it starred Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the lead roles. It centers on terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) and FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta). Archer is obsessed with bringing Troy to justice, as the man killed his son years ago. Troy is severely injured and Archer undergoes surgery to remove his face and replace it with Troy’s. Then Archer tries to use this disguise to extract information about a bomb from Troy’s brother. Troy awakens from a coma and forces the doctor who performed the surgery to give him Archer’s face. The two end up at odds, walking in one another’s shoes, with Troy trying to take over Archer’s life for good.
The movie proved to be a huge hit, earning $246 million globally against a reported $80 million budget. Also, despite its off-the-rails premise, it holds a 92 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There is no word yet on who will take on the leading roles this time around. Hugh Jackman, somewhat jokingly, expressed interest in doing the movie with Ryan Reynolds. It also isn’t clear how soon the studio intends to start production. Though it seems to be in the relatively early stages, since Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett are starting from scratch on the script. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us via Deadline.