Variety is reporting that Sony Screen Gems has delayed production on their remake of Gareth Huw Evans' masterpiece THE RAID, with sources close to the production telling Variety that plans to begin shooting the action pic in September have been pushed back and pre-production has been halted. Insiders add that the film isn’t being put into turnaround and that the plan is to still shoot in the first quarter of 2015. So like it or not, we're getting that remake of THE RAID one way or another.
The film was getting close to a greenlight as execs were zeroing on an ensemble with sources indicating that Luke Evans, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo and Ethan Hawke were frontrunners for roles. However, other insiders said no casting decisions had been made and no offers were sent out. It’s possible that one reason for the delay is that producers are seeking a bigger name.
Patrick Hughes (THE EXPENDABLES 3, RED HILL) is still onboard to direct.
I'm not always against remakes, even when I deem them highly unnecessary (as this film seems to be), but I can still hold on to some hope that, with the proper casting, this particular remake will be worthwhile. It's still doubtful that it will be able to hold a candle to the original film, though.