After 25 years, the John Woo action-thriller Face/Off still holds up in the eyes of at least one of its two main stars. Directed by Woo and written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, Face/Off was released in theaters in 1997. Despite its bizarre premise, which featured an FBI agent (John Travolta) and a criminal mastermind (Nicolas Cage) trading faces (and lives, subsequently), the film was a tremendous hit. In addition to widespread acclaim, making the film one of the most memorable action movies of the 90s, it also pulled in more than $245 million at the box office.

Many movies do not age very well, even if they were initially successful. If you were to ask Cage, Face/Off does quite the opposite. At the premiere of his new film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, the actor told Insider that he'd actually revisited Face/Off to help prepare for this latest movie. Despite the passage of time, Cage found himself impressed by Face/Off, particularly by the work of Woo along with his co-star, John Travolta.

"I looked at Face/Off again, which I was really wowed by. I think that movie's aged beautifully," Cage said, noting he was "very wowed" and "fired up" by Woo and Travolta's contributions.

It makes sense as to why Cage would watch Face/Off in preparation for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The action-comedy film stars Cage as Nick Cage, a fictionalized version of himself who must channel his various movie characters to rescue his family. This includes a scene referencing Face/Off, which warranted another viewing of the film. Cage also watched older films such as 1920's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for inspiration on his acting techniques.

Related: Face/Off 2 Writer Reveals Studio's Reaction to Script, Talks 'Casting Challenges'

Face/Off 2 Is Happening, But Will Nicolas Cage Be Involved?

Face Off

There have been reports of Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) planning to make a sequel to Face/Off. The plan is for the film to serve as an actual story continuation and not simply reboot the story with new characters. That might be, but it's unclear if Nicolas Cage or John Travolta will actually return. As of now, Cage says he still hasn't been approached about a possible appearance, though he admits that the idea of a new Face/Off movie is exciting, as long as it's a sequel and not a reboot.

"I have not heard hide nor hair about it," Cage explained. "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 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."

There's been no word on when Face/Off 2 might be released.