Nicolas Cage, without a doubt one of the most consistently compelling thespians of his generation, has generously offered the world a lengthy new interview during which he addresses sequel chatter of the Face/Off and National Treasure variety.
Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter this week ahead of next month’s wide release of the Cage-plays-Cage action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the Oscar winner was asked about the Face/Off references tucked into the upcoming Tom Gormican-directed film, with the publication noting recent reports of a Cage-less (and John Travolta-less) revisitation being in the works.
Cage, however, hasn’t been informed of any such plans. And while pointing to a general distrust of such reports, he also mentioned National Treasure 3, which last received a progress update from Jerry Bruckheimer in 2020.
“I have not heard hide nor hair about [Face/Off 2],” Cage told THR. “So often these things we read about are just conjecture without any base or foundation to it. I feel the same about National Treasure 3. It’s been 14 years. There’s no there, there. So, is it fun to think about? Sure. Would [Face/Off 2] be an exciting movie to make? Oh, hell yeah. But [director] John Woo was such a huge voice in that movie. It couldn’t be a remake. I think these filmmakers even said as much—that something like that would have to be a sequel.”
Bruckheimer told Collider back in 2020 that a new National Treasure film “for the big screen” was still being worked on, although a franchise-expanding Disney+ series featuring a new cast was deeper into the development process. This January, an update arrived regarding the cast of the new series, which will be led by Lisette Alexis.
As for that Face/Off sequel, we learned a little over a year ago that Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard had reportedly boarded the project, although the current status of the film remains unclear.
Elsewhere in the new Cage piece, the actor inspiringly confirmed that he maintains a regret-free approach to his creativity, specifically expressing gratitude for the journey having led him to a film like Unbearable Weight while also pointing out that he initially turned down the idea “three or four times” before saying yes.
Ghost Rider gets a quick mention, as does the since-made-massive Marvel infrastructure. Cage also talks the key to his sustaining work ethic, how he engages with the “memeification” of himself, his cat (and best friend) Merlin, and more. Read the full thing here.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent opens April 22. Below, see the recently released red band trailer.
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