Another extremely popular and successful action movie from a different country is getting a U.S. remake, four years after the release of Spike Lee’s unpopular and unsuccessful take on Oldboy. The latest film deemed worthy of a remake is The Raid: Redemption, Gareth Evans’ Indonesian martial arts film that came out here in 2012. According to Deadline, A-Team and The Grey’s Joe Carnahan is set to direct. Frank Grillo will star in the remake, replacing Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Iko Uwais as a SWAT team member trapped in a tenement building who has to fight through waves of gangers to get to the top.
The Deadline story quotes Carnahan as saying that he’s “extremely excited” to work with Grillo and to direct this movie, and he’s hoping he’ll be able to do “something fresh and inventive with it.” XYZ Films, one of the studios involved, adds that this will “pay homage to The Raid,” but it won’t be a “paint-by-numbers remake.” Also, Hollywood has been trying to remake The Raid for several years now, with the last attempt getting delayed way back in 2014.