Top 5 – Actor Pairings Who Should Star in the FACE/OFF Reboot

It was reported yesterday that John Woo’s 1997 action classic Face/Off is getting a remake at Paramount Studios.  Face/Off is truly a classic 90’s action flick in which John Travolta plays FBI agent Sean Archer who takes the face of criminal mastermind Castor Troy (one of the greatest character names in all of cinema), played by Nicolas Cage, in order to infiltrate his gang and foil Troy’s terrorist plot.  But the plan goes awry when Troy assumes the face of Archer.  It’s a ridiculous plot, but the cheesiness is what makes it, as does John Woo’s over-the-top action set pieces  But what’s best about Face/Off is the performances from Travolta and Cage.  The two essentially play one another and it is an absolute blast to see the two of them go at it, learning each other’s mannerisms and speech patterns.  So who should play Sean Archer and Castor Troy in the reboot?  Well here are my picks for the pairing of actors who I’d like to see in the Face/Off reboot.

 

 

 

BONUS.

JOHN TRAVOLTA as SEAN ARCHER

NICHOLAS CAGE as CASTOR TROY

• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  Look, I know these two actors are a little down in the dumps in terms of their careers right now.  They both make what feels like a dozen a movies a year that all go straight the video-on-demand and are usually critically panned.  But let’s face it, these two would still be perfect.  Watching the original Face/Off you could tell that the two of them had an absolute blast making this movie and playing against each other and they would probably love to do it again.  Both men are in desperate need of a hit and this would do it for them.  I would love to see these two come back and give us yet another classic.

 

 

 

5.

DWAYNE JOHNSON as SEAN ARCHER

JOHN CENA as CASTOR TROY

• This might be the most agro choice, but Face/Off is all about big, high-octane action and these two bruisers would exemplify that perfectly.  What’s interesting about these two is that, much like Travolta and Cage were in the 90’s, they are both similar in the kind of movies that they make, yet are very different as actors.  Both men came up in the WWE and have had their fair-share of box office glory as of late.  With Johnson going from good cop Archer to sleazy, insane Archer with Castor personality would be awesome to see and against his type.  We would also get to see another side of Cena, as he reluctantly becomes Troy and goes down a dark path to save his name.  Plus, the two could mock each other in the most perfect ways.  This would be a wild one, but it would be fun one.

 

 

4.

MARGOT ROBBIE as SEAN ARCHER

NATALIE PORTMAN as CASTOR TROY

• With Cage and Travolta, the actors were known for the way they read their lines.  There was a distinctness to it that everyone loved to replicate.  Neither Robbie nor Portman have anything distinct about them as actors, which is what would make them great.  Both of them are chameleons, willing to take challenging and interesting rolls that can be quiet and subdued to loud a boisterous.  The pick of these two is really recognition of how diverse and interesting these two are as actors.  Archer and Troy are weird characters and it would be really interesting to see what they do with them.  Plus, I would love to see Robbie and Portman kick some serious ass in a no-holds-barred action flick.

 

 

3.

WILL SMITH as SEAN ARCHER

JAMIE FOXX as CASTOR TROY

• Will Smith and Jamie Foxx exude superstardom and swagger, yet do it in different ways.  Will Smith is the loud one, the center of attention who you hear two rooms over.  Jamie Foxx is the quieter, chill type who moves in silence.  But the thing with both of these men is that they are both cooler than anyone in the room.  But what would happen if the two flipped personalities?  Both would still be incredibly cool and incredibly badass and we know they could hold down an action movie.  But let’s see Smith be the quiet cool and Foxx be the loud cool.  I know Foxx would be able to do his part, as he’s shown flashes of it in the past, but seeing Smith would be a lot of fun and he rarely plays the bad guy.

 

 

2.

TOM CRUISE as SEAN ARCHER

BRAD PITT as CASTOR TROY

• I can’t take credit for this choice, as someone recommended it to me on Twitter (shoutout @5minutemovieguy for the suggestion).  This is an absolute knockout of a choice.  Similar to Smith and Foxx, Cruise and Pitt are megastars of the game, both bringing a uniqueness and individuality to their performances, yet still being considered two of the last remaining movie-stars that we have.  Brad Pitt is a sure-fire actor who always brings the charisma and command of the camera to every movie and would be great here.  But I would love to see Tom Cruise play Sean Archer.  I am a huge Tom Cruise fan and seeing him play the good Archer would be fine and similar to his Mission: Impossible performances.  But him as Castor Troy with Sean Archer’s face would be legendary.  Cruise’s unhinged, unnerving qualities mixed with his superstardom would be a sight to behold and be extremely close to the Travolta and Cage.

 

 

1.

DENZEL WASHINGTON as SEAN ARCHER

SAMUEL L. JACKSON as CASTOR TROY

• Washington and Jackson are cinematic icons.  Both men have been acting for decades, have won numerous awards, and have done every kind of movie from every kind of genre.  Both men are on the older side of life, with Washington being 65 and Jackson being a spry 70, but the two still get down in the action genre, both being part of successful action franchises, Washington in the Equalizer franchise and Jackson in the MCU.  What would make these two the best is that neither of them would have an issue going so over-the-top with there performances in such a ridiculous movie, yet also have the gravitas to ground the movie and add a seriousness to the film.  But could you imagine the two flipping roles?  Watching the usually boisterous Jackson keep a calmer, cooler head while Washington goes completely off the rails sounds like a movie I’d pay to see today.  Will this probably happen?  Probably not.  But it should, as Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson would make the best pairing for the Face/Off reboot.