Face/Off 2 reportedly took two years to pitch because the story was too confusing. Face/Off 2 is a proposed sequel to the 1997 Oscar-nominated action thriller, Face/Off. Directed by John Woo, the film saw John Travolta, playing an FBI agent, and Nicolas Cage, portraying a terrorist, literally swap faces and assume each other's physical appearances and identities.
The original Face/Off is often regarded as Woo's most popular Hollywood film, which grossed over $245 million worldwide and currently holds a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is most notable for its stellar acting performances from both Cage and Travolta, who are both known for their sometimes over-the-top acting style in other movies. Critics also praised the film's stylized action sequences, musical score, originality, humor, and emotional depth. As stated above, Face/Off was even nominated for an Academy Award in Sound Effects Editing. Given its massive success and enduring cult following, talks of a sequel have persisted for years, but the reason it hasn't yet been made has now come to light.
Comic Book reports that the writer of the 1997 sequel, Simon Barrett, recently revealed that it took two years to pitch Face/Off 2 to the studio because the story was too confusing. Barrett explains that he and director Adam Wingard had to keep explaining to the studio which character had which face in each scene. As Barrett further states, the studio eventually paid the two creators to write a 35-page treatment, which finally clued everyone in on the story. View Barrett's full explanation of the Face/Off 2 sequel pitch below:
"I want to say something that people haven't mentioned yet. It took Adam and I two years to pitch 'Face/Off 2' because our pitch was so confusing that [the studio] just kept saying, 'We think we like what you're saying, but can you just explain who's got whose face on in this scene?' Ultimately, it was only when they actually paid us to write a 35-page treatment that I think everyone really understood what we were proposing. There's a lot of enthusiasm at the studio level, which I'm not used to. I think that has a little bit to do with my friend Adam's recent monster movie's ['Godzilla vs. Kong'] success in theaters this year. But you never know, you never know."
While the concept of the original Face/Off is a little absurd, it's still fairly straightforward. However, according to Barrett, the premise of the proposed sequel is a lot more complicated. Barrett also mentions that "Face/Off 2 remains in healthy, active development," with a script that is currently in the re-writing phase. Furthermore, Barrett and Wingard have Neil Moritz and Paramount to support them, who keep giving the writing team "somewhat befuddled, but genuinely enthusiastic thumbs up, every step of the way." Nonetheless, it appears that Barrett and Wingard are "excited" about the direction the rewrite is going in.
The unique premise of Face/Off really helped it stand out, but it was also the performances by Cage and Travolta that really sold it to audiences. If Barrett and Wingard can nail down a coherent script that isn't too confusing, Cage and Travolta may be onboard to return, if they're happy with the story. Hopefully, the writing team for Face/Off 2 can reign in the concept and deliver a simple and compelling narrative that doesn't make the audience scratch their heads, like the pair's pitch to the studio did.
Source: Comic Book