Whether you call it a reimagining, remake or reboot, The Raid is getting a new addition to the franchise. Writer and director Joe Carnahan will be working alongside Frank Grillo to create an American addition of the series. Bringing the Indonesian picture to a US audience with a new cast and bigger budget.
The original production cost a mere $1.1m to make. And, in doing so, the Gareth Evans film was able to deliver incredible fight sequences that didn't require huge resources to accomplish. It would go on to spawn a sequel via The Raid 2, replicating the excitement with a general audience despite picking up less at the box office.
Down and Dirty Details to Elevate Reboot
Sitting down with Collider, Carnahan outlined that the narrative will focus on the family dynamic of two warring brothers. All while wanting to keep the action tradition intact.
"What Frank (Grillo) and I both cotton to is this idea of special operators," said the director. "Special forces operation guys often times like football players. They’re never 100%. Soft tissue damage in their hands, radial fractures, knees are shot, this and that. So this idea you’re catching a guy who is compelled to go after his brother after he just got his ass kicked in a completely different operation. You’re getting a guy who’s like the walking wounded. So you’re immediately plugging in to this very mortal, very human, everybody’s been hurt, everybody’s tweaked their back; in fact, more people have an affinity and an understanding of that situation than being this completely physically fit monster that doesn’t feel pain."
Pointing to one gruesome scene from a classic action installment, Carnahan remarked that he wants the audience to fill the pinch throughout. Never sitting comfortably and riding the physical rollercoaster.
"There’s a level of brutality, a level of violence. If our movie felt like the knife fight between Adam Goldberg and the German in Saving Private Ryan the entirety of the movie, then we’ve done exactly what we need to do. Something that gruelling and tough."
We're Not A-List Stars, We Just Have Passion for the Project
Although he has experience on big action blockbuster sets like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War in the Marvel universe, Grillo admits that this passion project is all about the love for the story.
"First of all, we’re not the Hollywood version of anything," replied Grillo to a question about the rebooting of an Asian classic. "We come through the back door all the time. I’m not Tom Cruise. I’m not the Hollywood version. I’m not knocking Tom Cruise, but he’s Tom Cruise. He gets to do whatever he wants. So my point is we don’t have to do this. We can do anything we want to do. We want to do this because there’s something we see that we want to show to American audiences, and audiences globally. Many people have not seen The Raid."
Reboot to Return Iko Uwais?
Going on to say that the pair have had conversations with Evans, as the director gave his blessing to them for the remake, he was quizzed as to the involvement of the original star. And who is that? Just in case you have been living under a rock, it's Iko Uwais. A man that has expressed an interest in reviving his role.
"I did a movie with Iko. I’m friends with Iko. Iko may be in this movie. We don’t know," said Grillo. "So Iko and I did a movie in Indonesia last year. It’s a big kind of sci-fi movie, and I don’t know where it’s going to come out, when it’s going to come out, but Iko and I became best friends. We became brothers. And he’s my boy. When he heard this, he reached out to immediately and said, 'Is there a place for me in the movie?' This is the guy who originated the role, and was the star in both movies–it’s a film that everyone wants to be involved in, even the guy who is the guy. So maybe. Joe said maybe there’s a world where he’s one of the other guys. Who knows."
Source: Collider
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