The Hollywood remake rights for the hit Indonesian action film The Raid are currently being negotiated by Screen Gems. The news comes after the studio’s sister label, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, picked up the North American distribution rights to the film during the Cannes Film Festival. The remake deal comes after Sony had an exclusive negotiating period and right of refusal with XYZ Films, which released the original film.
The Film Stage is reporting that Screen Gems’ deal came after The Raid premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Midnight Madness. The film won the Midnight Madness audience award at the festiva and it quickly became one of the most talked about movies at TIFF.
The Raid follows a SWAT team that becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster. The mobster has two highly violent martial arts killers and an army of gun-carrying dealers.
The film garnered attention for the Indonesian fighting form called Silat that was added by writer-director Gareth Evans. It’s not clear yet how Screen Gems would include Silat in the remake, but the studio’s aware that the fighting style is an important aspect of the film’s success.
Screen Gems is currently looking for a filmmaker to helm the remake, as Evans decided not to direct the American version. He is instead focusing on making a sequel to his version, which he hopes to begin filming in February.