Nicolas Cage Prioritizes ‘Lords of War’ Over ‘Face/Off,’ the More Exciting Crime Sequel

There may not be a more remarkable career rebound ever in the history of Hollywood than there has been for Nicolas Cage. After a batch of B-movies, when interest died down in the 2000s, one unforgettable performance in 2018’s Mandy showed audiences the actor’s range and garnered him a whole new generation of fans. Post 2018, Cage has found himself in a series of stand-out productions, whether critically or fan acclaimed, such as the cult favorite horror movie Color Out of Space (2019) and the polished A24 comedy Dream Scenario (2023).

Of course, with his resurgence and the Hollywood system’s love for trying to build off popular franchises, it is not surprising that Cage now has some nostalgia-laden projects in the works. Indeed, the upcoming sequel to Lord of War is a pleasant surprise, but this also leaves one beloved film on the table that has been teased at getting a second shot for a while, Face/Off. With the latter being a beloved classic in the action genre, it feels like Cage is prioritizing the wrong project.

Nicolas Cage is Working on a Sequel to ‘Lord of War’

Recently, fans have been given their first look at Lord of War 2 (titled Lords of War), notable for the return of its director, Andrew Niccol, and the addition of Bill Skarsgård to the cast, playing Anton Orlov, the son of Cage’s Yuri. The original film, released in 2005, followed Yuri Orlov (Cage), a Ukrainian-American who becomes a global arms dealer over the course of 20 years, starting in the 80s. While building his empire in the first film and dealing with the authorities, the movie did leave some room for a sequel.

However, Lord of War was not an overwhelming success on release, earning only $72.6 million off a $50 million budget (Via Box Office Mojo). Critically, the movie sits at 62% with critics and 84% on the Popcorn meter on Rotten Tomatoes. This may have put any interest in a sequel on the back burner, but given the continued success of Cage and nostalgia for some of his more classic roles, it is not necessarily surprising that the story of Yuri would be revisited.

For interest’s sake, the plot does offer a new bitter rivalry for Yuri to face, against his own son, and the film seems poised to capture that world-spanning arms race with a bigger budget and more modern sheen that could still make it a box office hit. Still, it will be slightly disappointing for many fans of the actor to learn that Cage will be completing this project before working on Face/Off.

‘Face/Off’ is an Action Classic Deserving a Sequel Over ‘Lord of War’

Paramount Pictures 

There are a few quintessential 90s action movies that fans come back to time and time again: Air Force One, The Rock, Bad Boys, Speed; the list goes on and on. John Woo’s Face/Off is easily among those titles, and its popularity over Lord of War is undeniable. The film would also fare better in the theaters, grossing $245.7 million worldwide off a budget of $80 million (via Box Office Mojo). Moreover, Face/Off found greater critical success, currently sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. While fan aggregate ratings have Lord of War earning slightly higher scores, the amount of votes on all sites heavily favors Face/Off, reflective of its enduring popularity.

The Face/Off sequel continues to stay relevant in online discourse, with Cage even recently working with director John Woo once again for the upcoming biopic Gambino, offering one of the many hopeful glimpses that the project will get announced. While Woo won’t be returning for the sequel, instead, Adam Wingard is tapped as director with a new script from Simon Barrett (a perfect pairing for the project), there has still been plenty of hype for the sequel to materialize, especially if both Cage and Travolta return.

The original 1997 film certainly left room for a sequel despite its clean ending. Notably, the “face-swap/identity-swap” angle offers up a way to retroactively add ambiguity from the previous film and build it into a new story. Still, a sequel does pose a challenge of balancing the film’s legacy and nostalgia and creating a new story that pays homage to the film’s past while introducing a modern spin. The potential is there if done right. Though with delays in production, the fate of the sequel remains uncertain.

The Uncertain Status of the ‘Face/Off’ Sequel

Paramount Pictures

As of now, Face/Off 2 is more of a side-note in the production schedule of all those involved, with the movie not yet having been scheduled to begin production, let alone a tentative release window. The film does not seem to be a priority at the time, and it is one that will remain in that odd grey area where fans could get a surprise update or just hear that the project is dead.

Given the enduring popularity of Face/Off, it does seem like an inevitability, but for now, it looks like Cage is more focused on reprising his role of Yuri in the upcoming Lords of War, which is currently filming without a set release date.