Hollywood is no stranger to churning out remakes, reboots and follow-ups that nobody asked for, and it would be fair to say that Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard’s Face/Off sequel definitely falls into that category. The original, or first installment as it’s now going to be known, remains a high point of 1990s action cinema, with John Woo and his leading men firing on all cylinders.
Face/Off was a perfect storm of two actors going all-in on the insanity of the premise and delivering performances to match, while Woo finally hit his Hollywood groove and reminded people why he’s regarded as one of the action genre’s all-time great directors. Stylish, funny and spectacular, it set a very high bar that instantly places Wingard’s project under intense scrutiny.
A sequel is admittedly preferable to a remake or reboot if we’re not getting a say in the matter, and Face/Off is returning to our screens whether we like it or not, but in a new interview, Wingard offered a status update and admitted that if the movie isn’t coming together the way he wants it to behind the scenes, then he’s not going to make it at all.
“This is Face Off 2. And I can’t say what that means exactly, but this is either going to be the definitive follow-up to that movie and everything that entails, or I’m not going to make it, because everything’s got to line up perfectly. The script’s going really good, Simon Barrett and I are almost finished. And Simon, who I worked with on You’re Next and The Guest, we’ve been working a lot over quarantine, and this was our main project.”
It’s somewhat encouraging to hear that Wingard wants the stars to align perfectly, but that doesn’t make a Face/Off sequel any less unnecessary. All it needs to tie itself to the original is the titular procedure, although you’d imagine that the door is also open for a John Travolta cameo to provide some connective tissue, while the casting of the two lead characters is also going to be pivotal in both drumming up excitement and convincing fans that Face/Off 2 stands a chance of matching up to its predecessor.