Adam Wingard Exits ‘Face/Off 2’ as Sequel Searches for New Director

The highly anticipated sequel to the 1997 action classic Face/Off is once again seeking a director. Adam Wingard, who had been attached to write and direct the project, has departed Paramount Pictures’ production, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.

Wingard’s Departure and Project Status

Wingard’s exit was mutually agreed upon last summer, leaving Face/Off 2 in an open assignment at the studio. Paramount is now fielding pitches from other filmmakers eager to set their spin on the follow-up to the John Travolta and Nicolas Cage-starring original.

Development History

Initial plans for a Face/Off remake surfaced in 2019, with Neal Moritz producing and Oren Uziel writing the script. In 2021, Wingard joined the project, intending to direct a sequel co-written with Simon Barrett. Gizmodo notes that Wingard had hyped the project during press for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024.

Nicolas Cage’s Vision for the Sequel

Nicolas Cage previously indicated the sequel would expand on the face-swapping premise, involving the now-adult children of his and Travolta’s original characters. “It becomes three-dimensional chess,” Cage said in 2023. “It’s four of us ping-ponging and going at different levels, and it becomes even more complex.” Gizmodo

Wingard’s Future Projects

Wingard is currently focused on his upcoming A24 thriller, Onslaught, starring Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall. His previous directorial credits include The Guest, Blair Witch (2016), and the Monsterverse films Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

About the Original ‘Face/Off’

Directed by John Woo, the original Face/Off, released in 1997, starred John Travolta as an FBI agent and Nicolas Cage as a terrorist who undergo an experimental procedure to swap faces. The film grossed over $240 million worldwide and received an Academy Award nomination for sound effects editing. The Hollywood Reporter