Gareth Evans may have officially closed the door on “The Raid 3”, but fans of the franchise still have plenty to look forward to in the form of the film’s currently in-development English language remake, which will reportedly shift the setting to Caracas, Venezuela. It goes without saying that this version will have some big shoes to fill, but fortunately, it seems that director Joe Carnahan’s “The Raid” remake has all its bases covered courtesy of some recent comments made by screenwriter Adam G. Simon, who recently shared some new details on the project.
Speaking to A Dose of Buffa, Simon revealed new details on the remake, commenting specifically on how it would handle the plot element of the estranged brothers on opposite sides of the law reunited under the most hellish of circumstances…
“It’s hinted at in a really beautiful way and I love and enjoy it. But we kind of make this struggle of the brothers the central focal point of the film, which I think is really cool, at least at this stage, you know, in the script stage. Because what you put on the page also evolves once you get set, once you work with actors, once you work with fight coordinators and all that stuff. But the central themes, like if I was pitching this motherf****r, I would say it’s ‘Warrior’ meets ‘Black Hawk Down’ in a high-rise. That’s really what it is, but it’s also an examination of why do we fight the people we love the most? Like why do we have the most knock-down, drag-out fights with the people we care about the most?”
Simon would also praise the premise initially set down by director Joe Carnahan:
“Joe’s a monster of a writer. He’s one of the best. And I think we’ve made something really special. It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be f*****g great dude.”
With the “re-imagining” of “The Raid” (as all parties connected to the project have consistently described it) set to enter production in January of 2019, fans of the original two films are doubtlessly going to place each and every bit of information that emerges on the project, under the microscope. Leading man Frank Grillo was previously seen alongside two of the original stars of “The Raid”, Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, in last year’s sci-fi-martial arts hybrid, “Beyond Skyline”, and Simon’s description of the film as “Warrior” meets “Black Hawk Down” may reveal a bit of both the film’s thematic arc and style of action.
2011’s “Warrior” (in which Grillo also appeared) sees two estranged brothers come face to face in a major MMA tournament, indicating that the project may not only place the conflict of adult siblings at the core of its plot, but may also take a distinct MMA approach to the action, with Grillo being a noted MMA enthusiast further strengthening this possibility. The “Black Hawk Down” comparison would also seemingly indicate a more military-oriented approach in comparison with the original, leaving aficionados plenty to ruminate over as the film enters production.
The “re-imagining” of “The Raid” is set to get rolling in January next year. Stay tuned for more info as it arrives…In the meantime, what do you anticipate Joe Carnahan, Adam G. Simon and Frank Grillo will bring to “The Raid” franchise, what would you be most excited to see? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram. (Check out our official reviews of “The Raid” and “The Raid 2”, and since it’s Friday, the Night’s Coming for you, so…FUflix and thrill!)
