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Hugh Jackman Open To Doing Face/Off Remake With Ryan Reynolds
Hugh Jackman says that he'd be open to starring in a remake of Face/Off with Ryan Reynolds, but has some shooting demands that must be met. The 1997 John Woo action film starred Nicolas Cage and John Travolta as an arch-criminal and an FBI agent who end up swapping faces and face-off against each other in a battle to the death. Despite the ridiculous premise, the movie did fairly well at the box office, and has become known as a perfect example of bombastic, over-the-top 1990s action movies, standing alongside other examples, like The Rock, of 90s action nostalgia.
In recent years, there have been reports that a Face/Off remake is in the works from the writer of 22 Jump Street, leading fans to speculate who might take on the roles in a contemporary version. From The Rock to Keanu Reeves, almost every action star of the time has been mentioned as a possibility, and Reynolds and Jackman are no different. The actors share a unique bond in the world of movies, given that they have long had a very public "feud" in which they pretend to hate each other, sharing insults and trading barbs on social media, and even their movies, with Reynolds making a number of cracks about Jackman in Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
Now, in an interview with SiriusXM, Jackman has said that he would be open to starring in a remake of Face/Off with Reynolds, after being asked by one of the hosts if he'd heard that fans on Reddit were campaigning for them to appear together. However, continuing to play in to their public feud, Jackman said that they would have to shoot it in such a way as to ensure they never met, asking "is it possible to shoot it where we're never actually together? I'm open to that."
While Jackman is responding in jest, the thought of him and Reynolds teaming up for a self-aware Face/Off remake actually sounds incredibly tantalizing. Both actors are known for their action chops, as well as their ability to be funny, and a remake that acknowledges the ridiculous premise while still delivering on the action would suit both actors perfectly. Additionally, given that both men are tall and muscular, their physical resemblance is a lot closer than Travolta and Cage, who have very different body types.
Unfortunately, given Reynolds' busy upcoming movie schedule, and Jackman's preference for song-and-dance movies like The Showman, or dramas like HBO's Bad Education these days, the pairing is unlikely to happen. This aside from the fact that the actor's salaries would immediately push the production budget north of $100 million (unless they were willing to take pay cuts). However, fans can always hold out hope, as the idea of seeing Jackman and Reynolds literally face-off in Face/Off seems to good to dismiss entirely.
