We all know that movies are remade in an attempt to capitalize on a different market, but there is still some small hope that the purpose of such endeavours is a creative one – that an individual may seek to take a pass at an already made movie because they have something new to offer, an alternative angle, or an updated vision. There can be some value in taking an older title and giving it an update, if there is something new to say. But at what point does the brevity of the time period between the original and the remake become insulting? These are the questions to ask as 2012’s The Raid: Redemption is lined up for re-working, just 27 months after its original release.
According to The Wrap, the new version will stick to the plot of the original quite closely, and feature an elite SWAT team becoming trapped in a block of flats that is under the control of a mobster and his army. The first version was written and directed by Gareth Evans, and was very well received. The update is written by Brad Ingelsby (Run All Night), with Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3) attached to direct.
Today, we’re hearing that Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor) is in talks to star in the film, which would begin shooting in January 2015 – giving Kitsch plenty of time to participate in season 2 of True Detective, which he and his team are apparently lobbying for.
The question is, what can possibly be added to The Raid – a relatively new film that was well-received and successful, and why would anyone want to try? Surely, eventually, every movie will legitimately have been remade at some point in the near future, and once that’s done, do we all go round again? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, as further casting and production details come to light.
