Paramount Pictures has hit another snag with its troubled sequel to Face/Off, as director Adam Wingard has reportedly left the project. The 1997 classic from John Woo, starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, remains one of the most defining action movies of its era. Its long-planned follow-up, Face/Off 2, now faces new uncertainty after years of slow development.
Sources told Collider that Wingard, who began developing the sequel in 2021 alongside longtime collaborator Simon Barrett, is no longer attached. His exit leaves the director’s chair vacant and the production without clear leadership. Paramount has not canceled the project, but the studio has classified it as an “open directing assignment,” inviting other filmmakers to pitch new ideas. The sequel, if completed, would arrive nearly 30 years after the original film.
The decision adds to the project’s long history of delays. The 2023 Hollywood strikes halted progress for months as writers and actors fought for better pay and protections. Wingard had called his earlier drafts “amazing” and described the story as “a family story.” Plans were in motion to bring in another writer for revisions before his departure.
Fans still hope the project will reunite Cage and Travolta, who have both expressed interest in returning if the sequel builds on, rather than reboots, the original. The 1997 film followed FBI agent Sean Archer, played by Travolta, who swaps faces with Cage’s terrorist character, Castor Troy. The switch sparks a violent psychological duel that became one of Woo’s most famous set pieces.
In late 2024, rumors circulated that the new story would focus on the children of Archer and Troy, expanding the original rivalry into a generational conflict. Cage called the idea “three-dimensional chess,” suggesting multiple characters clashing at once. “It becomes even more complex,” he told reporters at the time, hinting at a mix of legacy and chaos.
Whether that concept survives Wingard’s exit is unclear. Without a director in place, production has paused indefinitely. In the meantime, Cage is returning to work with Woo on another project. The pair will reunite for Gambino, a crime biopic about New York mob boss Carlo Gambino. Filming begins this summer, marking Woo’s first major U.S. release in years. Analysts say the trend of reviving 1990s action classics is far from over, but Face/Off 2 may now face its toughest test yet.
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