The moment Frank Grillo and writer-directorĀ Joe Carnahan threw their support behind an English-language version of The Raid, Gareth Evans’ modern action classic, both parties were quick to stress that they’ve envisioned a āreimagining of the same scenarioā as opposed to a by-the-numbers remake.
After getting the blessing of Evans himself – he’ll produce Grillo and Carnahan’s new take – The Raid is finally beginning to take strides toward production at XYZ Films, and Collider caught up with the creative duo recently to discuss the film’s budget, its setting and why a full-blown assault on a penthouse teeming with goons isn’t as original as you might think. After all,Ā Joe Carnahan is the creative mind behindĀ Smokinā Aces, and the director will no doubt tap into that experience – not to mention his time spent behind the lens on The Grey and The A-Team – when crafting this new version ofĀ Gareth Evans’ Indonesian masterclass.
To begin,Ā Joe Carnahan discussed how he and Grillo came attached to The Raid in the first place, and what it means to follow a character that is relentless in his pursuit of justice.
“What Frank and I both cotton to is this idea of special operators. Special forces operation guys often times like football players. Theyāre never 100%. Soft tissue damage in their hands, radial fractures, knees are shot, this and that. So this idea youāre catching a guy who is compelled to go after his brother after he just got his ass kicked in a completely different operation. Youāre getting a guy whoās like the walking wounded. So youāre immediately plugging in to this very mortal, very human, everybodyās been hurt, everybodyās tweaked their back; in fact, more people have an affinity and an understanding of that situation than being this completely physically fit monster that doesnāt feel pain.”
Where will The Raid be shot?Ā Caracas, Venezuela, according toĀ Carnahan, as he looks to “heighten elements of The Raid that were already here.”
“[Itās set in] Caracas. Because Caracas is a madhouse. Itās almost like a safehouse for bad guys, like they built this block in Caracas because this is where you come to do business and no one will fuck with you. Because itās such a dangerous place, nobody wants to go in there. Again, itās heightening elements of The Raid that were already there, Iām taking these story elements and kind of weaponizing them. Just giving them a shot of steroids, because again everything is about zaggingāwhere The Raid zigged, weāll zag.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Frank Grillo touched on the possibility ofĀ Iko Uwais, lead star of The Raid and its hardboiled sequel Berandal cropping up for a cameo – “who knows!” he said – beforeĀ Carnahan stressed his desire for a quick turnaround on their reimagining.
“I mean listen, [weāre doing it] as soon as possible. We have to always, Frank and I, we have to act as though the thing that weāre talking about doing now weāre doing next. And Iām writing the script right now, so I want it to go ASAP.”
The Raid is officially a go over at XYZ Films. Upon reading through Grillo andĀ Carnahan’s comments, tell us, what are your thoughts on their creative vision? Let us know in the usual spot.