Some viewers may already be aware of this, but a lot of movies and productions will share props as a way of cutting costs. Most of the time, these shared props are pretty generic, from basic products on shelves to posters and other decor items. However, there are some more entertaining instances of prop sharing. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow’s frozen head made for Seven (but ironically never shown) was later used in Contagion. Pretty odd, but efficient, right? Eagle-eyed fans have spotted one particular re-use of a prop that may have lasting implications, suggesting a connection between Jurassic Park and a famous Nicolas Cage movie.
We’re talking about the 1997 film, Face/Off, starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. Cage plays the role of Caster Troy, a terrorist with quite the criminal reputation, while Travolta plays FBI Special Agent Sean Archer. What follows is a memorable series of events for all fans, as the two undergo elective and highly experimental surgery, allowing their faces and voices to be swapped. It’s a mind-bending plot and a famous film, yet one background image has viewers questioning the world in which the story is set.
An Unlikely Prop Cameo
For this scene to make sense, we first have to get a quick idea of what’s happening. Archer is in the process of his famous prison escape, and everything is in chaos. At one point, he ducks down, giving fans the perfect angle to notice something very strange about a cabinet in the background: it has an InGen label.
Stop and think about that for a second: InGen, short for International Genetics Incorporated, is a bioengineering company from the world of Jurassic Park. Originally founded by John Hammond and Benjamin Lockwood, the company was directly responsible for bringing dinosaurs back to life, adding in a few genetic alterations in the process. InGen would later become Masrani Global Corporation’s InGen Technologies. That’s a bit of a mouthful, but the detail is potentially relevant in a moment.
The Potential of a Shared Universe
InGen as a company did infamously get a bit corrupt, especially during the second and third Jurassic Park films, so it’s possible that they did what many corporations do: getting their hands into a little bit of everything. In other words, it might have been possible for their tech to be inside a prison. Not likely, mind you, but possible.
Knowing that InGen would later become part of Masrani Global Corporation, this gives us an idea of a timeline. If the prison is using modern InGen products, it means that this must have happened well before Masrani got his hands on the company. Likewise, it had to be after Dr. Hammond lost control, as it’s hard to believe he’d sign off on it. That’s still a pretty wide window of time to be working with, but that makes it even more interesting.
The bigger problem is that this implies that Jurassic Park and Face/Off share the same universe. It would mean that, in this world, one can swap their faces at will (for a price) and then go off on an adventure to see real dinosaurs (again, for a price). What a strange yet advanced world this would make for! However, behind the scenes, this is just a case of the same props being reused between movies as a cost-saving measure.
The Trend of Reusing Props
As we already mentioned, it’s pretty common for props to get recycled or reused. Don’t believe us? Look back at a bunch of classic sci-fi films about robots, and you may notice a surprising trend. Robby the Robot is an iconic robot that appeared in many sci-fi films, including Forbidden Planet, The Invisible Boy, and The Twilight Zone. While Robby the Robot was portrayed in these films, he never played the same character. In this way, Robby was used more like an actor fulfilling a role than a stereotypical prop.
Robby the Robot may be a major example of this happening, but props of all sizes can and have been shared. Pay attention when watching some of your favorite sci-fi shows, and you might realize that a lot of the weapons and background gadgets look surprisingly familiar.
Given this tendency to share props, we feel pretty confident that the creators behind Face/Off weren’t trying to sneak in a cheeky Easter egg or hint about Jurassic Park. If a Face/Off reboot occurs, maybe they’ll shock us all and confirm the theories, but that seems far from likely. Regardless, it was fun thinking about the potential for a larger universe.
What are some of your favorite examples of props appearing across franchises and fandoms? Let us know in the comments below!
The post Jurassic Park Fans Find Hilarious Connection to Fan-Favorite Nicolas Cage Movie appeared first on ComicBook.com.