Paramount is developing a reboot of John Woo’s 1997 action hit “Face/Off,” which starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in a cat-and-mouse thriller that sees the two actors exchange roles.
Oren Uziel is attached to write the script for the reboot with Neal Moritz producing. The pair previously worked together in the same roles on “22 Jump Street” and Paramount’s upcoming “Sonic the Hedgehog” adaptation, which hits theaters in February.
“Face/Off” starred Travolta as Sean Archer, a federal agent bent on revenge after terrorist Castor Troy, played by Cage, killed his son. After another incident puts Troy in a coma, Archer agrees to a bizarre plan that involves using experimental surgery to give him Troy’s body, face and voice, and then going to a max security prison to convince Troy’s partners to reveal the location of a bomb.
But while Archer is in prison, Troy breaks out of his coma and forces the surgeons to give him Archer’s face, effectively leading the two men to switch places. Archer must now break out of prison and expose what Troy has done, as Troy takes over Archer’s personal and professional life.
Released to strong reviews, “Face/Off” was a success at the box office with $245 million grossed worldwide, or approximately $391 million in 2019 dollars. David Permut, who produced the original film, will return for the reboot as an executive producer.
In addition to “Face/Off,” Uziel is currently attached to two in-development Warner Bros. blockbusters: a film adaptation of DC’s “Supergirl” and the sequel to “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.” He is repped by WME and Writ Large. The reboot was first reported by Deadline.
