Johnny Depp Shot Himself in the Foot by Rejecting Cult-Classic Sci-Fi Movie Directed by Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible Director

Johnny Depp could have potentially starred in the 1997 movie, Face/Off alongside Nicolas Cage but chose to pass it on. The cult classic sci-fi movie is considered one of the action masterpieces due to its variety of elements including innovative concept, director’s vision, thrilling twists, and actor’s impeccable performance. 

Also Read: Breakup With Winona Ryder Might Have Been the Reason Behind an Awful Start to Johnny Depp’s Relationship With Leonardo DiCaprio

Based on the idea of two characters swapping their faces and identities literally, it revolves around FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) and terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). However, the former would have almost played the FBI agent’s role but left it due to a small misunderstanding. 

Johnny Depp Initially Wanted to Star in Face/Off

Also Read: “I’ll never see him again”: Johnny Depp’s Awful Plan Backfired as He Decided to Insult an Icon After Getting Drunk

After two decades of Face/Off release, ShortList dived into the making of this iconic masterpiece. In the same interview, screenwriter Michael Colleary unveiled numerous big-name actors attached to the project. He shared that Johnny Depp was considered for the John Travolta role when Demolition Man director, Marco Brambilla was in talks to take the directorial position. He revealed that Paramount Pictures was also quite interested in getting him on the movie. 

“Around this time, Paramount were trying to turn 27-year-old Johnny Depp into a movie star. The studio said that they would only agree to including Nicolas Cage – who wanted to be in the film – if Depp could star opposite him.”

However, the Donnie Brasco actor let it go after reading the script. 

“After finally reading the script, however, Depp refused to take part. Having read the title he thought the film would be about hockey. He was disappointed when he discovered that it was not about hockey. He was out – and with him so was Brambilla.”

Eventually, the Mission: Impossible 2 director, John Woo was hired to helm the movie resulting in the masterpiece we have today. As for Sean Archer’s role which Depp was interested in, it went to John Travolta. However, Woo once shared that he intended the project a comedy. 

Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 2 Director Revealed the Tone of His Face/Off Movie

In an interview with Vulture, the Hard Target actor explained that he helmed the project as a comedy due to the lead characters. 

He shared, 

“In the meantime, I started to make it like a comedy. Or a comedy-like movie, not a real comedy. I’m a big fan of MAD magazine. The characters in my movies sometimes feel like characters from there. The whole thing is so ridiculous. People who can change their faces — it’s so unreal. But I had to make it a believable story, so that’s why I let my actors be carefree and do whatever they wanted.”

Meanwhile, Paramount announced a sequel to the groundbreaking film in 2019 which is currently in the works. Even Nicholas Cage has been hinting about the project being in development by dropping chunks of information. He also expressed his interest in returning as Castor Troy. 

Adam Wingard was hired in 2021 to direct the new movie and confirmed that he is also co-writing the screenplay with Simon Barrett. The duo have worked together frequently on projects like The Guest and You’re Next. The sequel does not have a release date yet while fans can stream the 1997 movie on Apple TV.