Hollywood is always looking to remake popular foreign films. Hell, HBO is already developing an American version of Parasite and eyeing Mark Ruffalo to star. Another international property that’s ripe for an American reboot though is The Raid. Sure, you could argue that Dredd is basically the same thing, but I digress.
Released in 2011, The Raid is an Indonesian film that follows a police squad making their way up an apartment building to arrest a local crime lord. But as they rise up each floor, they encounter countless bad guys.
Director Joe Carnahan’s been developing an American remake with Frank Grillo set to star for some time now. And during a Q & A with Collider for their new film, Boss Level, Carnahan said that they’re no longer attached to the project under the title The Raid, but that they’re taking that script and developing it elsewhere.
The title for their version is now Zeno, which is Grillo’s character’s name. The star said that they’re going after some “big” actors to play two key roles: his character’s brother and the main villain. Carnahan also spoke about the differences between his script and The Raid, explaining:
“The version that I wrote, they don’t ever intend to actually go in [to the building],” Carnahan said. “They think that they’re gonna’ move this guy. So their whole operation is, ‘We’re gonna’ hit this guy in transit.’ It’s not until they realize, ‘Oh, they’re digging in, they’re not moving, we’ve got to now go in and get him,’ for those that know The Raid. It’s a very, very different script…It’s really, really, really about the brothers.”
Carnahan’s an underrated action director who unfortunately hasn’t had a hit in some time. He burst onto the scene with the dark cop movie Narc, and followed that up with the stylistic and clever action flick Smokin’ Aces. He then moved into big budget territory with The A-Team, but the disappointing box office didn’t produce a new franchise despite it being a fun ride with a great cast.
His best film to date, The Grey, was a modest success, but he hasn’t had a major release since. He does have a writing credit on Bad Boys For Life and his latest, Boss Level, is receiving praise after debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, but it doesn’t have a release date as of yet.
Circling back to this proposed remake of The Raid though, which has now seemingly morphed into something else entirely, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as it develops, so watch this space for more.
