The attempt to make a new version of Gareth Evans' 2011 action classic The Raid has been a long and tortured one, especially since the original is so good, and matching it would be a tricky job. Filmmakers have come and gone, but now there's a new trio stepping in to try and get it done – Michael Bay, Patrick Hughes and Evans himself.
Actually, only Bay is truly new to the world of The Raid, since Hughes was attached to aversion way back in 2014 that never came to pass, while both Taylor Kitsch and Frank Grillo were floated as leads. And Grillo has form with another take, since he and director Joe Carnahan were trying their own take a for a while.
Evans' barnstormer of a film followed Iko Uwais' Rama, part of an elite Indonesian S.W.A.T. team that becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs. Praised for its supremely inventive and violent action, it was followed by a sequel in 2014.
Now, though, Hughes is back aboard, writing a fresh script with James Beaufort, set in Philadelphia’s drug-infested “Badlands,” where an elite undercover DEA task force climbs a ladder of cartel informants to catch an elusive kingpin. Bay and Evans will be producers on the movie, and Netflix (for which Evans has previously made Apostle and the upcoming Havoc) has jumped in to nab the rights.
"We’re incredibly excited about Patrick’s unique vision for this film," the producers tell Deadline. "It’s a distinctly original take on the material, which promises to pay great respect to the original film while also bringing a fresh approach and perspective that will set its own course in the action genre." Can it work this time? It's looking closer than ever...