Nearly three decades after “Face/Off,” John Woo and Nicolas Cage will reunite for their third project together.
Deadline reports that Cage will star in the Woo-directed “Gambino,” about the notorious NYC crime boss Carlo Gambino. It’s Woo’s first film since 2024’s “The Killer,” while for the ever-prolific Cage, the crime pic is just one of several upcoming projects, including “Madden,” “The Prince,” and “Fortitude.”
But what’s the set-up for “Gambino”? George Gallo and Nick Vallelonga pen the script, which follows the chaos that erupts in the NYC underworld after the death of Cage’s Gambino. Amidst the power flux, Pulitzer-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin tries to uncover the real Gambino beneath the legends that swirl around his name and how the boss redefined organized crime in America. For those unfamiliar with Gambino, he was one of the most notorious crime bosses in the 20th-century United States, and a powerful part of the mob until his death in 1976. WME Indepdent will launch sales for the film at next week’s AFM.
“Gambino” made the rounds a few years ago before this new iteration, a complete retooling with new producers and financiers. Cassian Elwes now produces the pic with Edward Zeng via NextG Films, along with Robert Daly Jr. and David Lipper of Latigo Films. Cage, Gallo, and Vallelonga also produce the film.
A legend of Hong Kong action cinema, Woo returned to American filmmaking in 2023 with “Silent Night,” while last year’s “The Killer,” a remake of his 1989 film, premiered on Peacock last year. US audiences will know Woo best for fare like 1997’s “Face/Off” and “Mission: Impossible 2,” but his best films are his early HK actioners, like “Hard Boiled” and “A Bullet In The Head.” “Gambino” will be Woo’s third film starring Cage, after “Face/Off” and 2002’s “Windtalkers.” Also, it’s unclear if Woo’s musical film about the band Sparks, titled “X Crucior,” is still happening.
Meanwhile, Cage’s other upcoming work beyond next year’s biopic “Madden” includes the recently announced “Lord Of War” sequel and Prime Video‘s “Spider-Noir” series. And there’s “Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse” in the pipeline, too, but that won’t hit theaters until Summer 2027. Cage is also in talks to star in the upcoming next season of HBO‘s “True Detective,” but there’s been no confirmation on that front since the initial story in August. The actor’s most immediate new release, “The Carpenter’s Son,” where Cage plays Jesus, hits theaters tomorrow.
So, will a John Woo-Nic Cage reunion be enough for a studio to throw “Gambino” into theaters? Wait and see on that. Despite debuting on Peacock, “The Killer” wasn’t too bad last year, but it’s hard to imagine this project won’t get a similar style of release.
