Face/Off 2 Is 'The Most Challenging Script' Adam Wingard And Simon Barrett Have Ever Worked On

The origin of Nicolas Cage's rise to meme-fame extends further back than the 1997 schlocky cult classic "Face/Off," but I'd go so far to say that there might not be a more fitting representation of everything that the A-list actor brings to the table. The John Woo action film, starring Cage and John Travolta as the co-leads of one of the most ridiculous premises ever to grace American cinemas, rightfully stands tall in the pantheon of both Cage movies and body-swapping narratives.

In case anybody needs a refresher, the plot of "Face/Off" involves Cage's criminal mastermind Castor Troy undergoing a procedure to switch faces with the vengeance-seeking FBI agent hot on his tale, Travolta's Sean Archer. It's the kind of absurdity that, looking back with the wistfulness of hindsight, we'd have to acknowledge only movies of a certain time could truly get away with. That's why the rumors of a possible reimagining of the movie have always been met with equal parts incredulity and excitement among film fans ... until those rumors became closer to reality, that is. Initially billed as a remake and since clarified to be a direct sequel, the responsibility of pulling off the same lightning-in-a-bottle magic one more time has fallen to "The Guest" and "Godzilla vs. Kong" director Adam Wingard.

Never mind that a sequel with both stars potentially returning would seem to be somewhat difficult, given what happened at the end of the film. Maybe that's partly why Wingard is describing the script as "probably the most challenging script" he and writer Simon Barrett have ever worked on together.

How can one ever hope to improve on perfection? Finding an answer to that impossible question is one of many reasons why I'm glad I'm not in show business, but Adam Wingard and his usual co-writer Simon Barrett have taken this challenge head (face?) on. In an interview with Empire, Wingard provided a quick update on where things stand with the in-development script for their "Face/Off" sequel.

"We're really honing in on it. We're not going to share it until everybody's like, 'This is the one.'

I think we really got it. It has been probably the most challenging script we've ever worked on, for a lot of reasons. There's so much pressure in wanting to make sure that it lives up to the legacy of that project. But every draft you have these things that just click in, and you're like, 'A-ha! That's really what 'Face/Off' is!'"

You have to admire the sheer amount of courage it takes to look at a movie like "Face/Off" and figure out a way to crack the code for a decades-later sequel that could ever live up to the zaniness of the original. Given the recent resurgence that Nicolas Cage has enjoyed on the heels of "Pig" and especially "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," it was probably only a matter of time before Hollywood came knocking on Cage's door to brush the cobwebs off one of his most inane (but oddly entertaining) projects ever. Here's hoping Wingard and Barrett will somehow be able to spin some magic out of this idea one more time.