Nicolas Cage Goes From Jesus' Father to Mob Boss After Teaming With Mission Impossible Director
Nearly three decades after Face/Off, Nicolas Cage is reuniting with action trailblazer John Woo for Gambino, a crime epic in the works. The Mission: Impossible 2 director and his star are primed for a high-voltage comeback fans have been waiting for.
Nicolas Cage and John Woo are getting the band back together. The Face/Off duo will reunite nearly 30 years later for a new crime epic called 'Gambino' (per Variety), and yes, the idea of Woo unleashing his operatic action instincts on a mob saga with Cage in the title role is exactly as fun as it sounds.
What the movie is actually about
'Gambino' centers on Pulitzer-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin as he investigates the life and legend of Carlo Gambino after the mob boss dies. Cage plays Gambino, the man who ran New York's underworld with a calm, iron grip. The story follows Breslin as he tracks down people who adored Gambino and people who were terrified of him, trying to strip away the measured exterior and get to the ruthless engine underneath — and, in the process, show how an outsider reshaped ideas of power, loyalty, and the so-called American dream.
Who is making it
Woo is directing. George Gallo — the writer behind 'Bad Boys' — is handling the script. Producing duties are handled by Nick Vallelonga ('Green Book'), Cage, Gallo, Latigo Films, and NextG Film, with NextG Film financing the project. Edward Zeng at NextG is the one putting up the money, and he is aiming big:
'Together, we aim to deliver an epic cinematic experience that brings audiences back to the theater again and again—an experience that not only entertains, but inspires people to reflect on the world we live in today. Humanity stands at a crossroads. Through powerful storytelling and innovative artistry, we hope to remind everyone that the future is ours to shape, and it is our shared responsibility to make it better.'
Why this is a pivot for Cage
For the last few years, Cage has been on a run of horror or horror-adjacent projects, and he has been good in them. He is keeping that thread going with 'The Carpenter's Son' — a horror reimagining of Jesus's childhood — which opens November 14, 2025 in the U.S. But 'Gambino' is very much a return to stylized crime territory, which fits right in with Woo's and Gallo's resumes. It has not been all horror lately — he also detoured into a western with 'Gunslingers' — but the recent highlight reel leans spooky. For context, here is how a few of those titles fared with audiences and critics:
- The Surfer — Rotten Tomatoes: 84% critics / 47% audience; IMDb: 5.9
- Dream Scenario — Rotten Tomatoes: 91% critics / 69% audience; IMDb: 6.8
- Longlegs — Rotten Tomatoes: 86% critics / 81% audience; IMDb: 6.6
The hook
Woo reuniting with Cage after Face/Off, Gallo scripting, and a true-crime figure as outsized as Carlo Gambino — that is a combo built for big-screen swagger. If they deliver on the promise here, it is the kind of theatrical swing that could be a crowd-pleaser and a character study at the same time.