Although Gareth Evans‘ Indonesian actioner The Raid got a decent-sized release, racking up over $4 million at the domestic box-office, Hollywood saw bigger dollar signs with the story, quickly securing the remake rights. Set up over at Screen Gems, it’s been a surprisingly slow process getting it to screens, as one would think they’d want to capitalize on the buzz when they can. But things are finally moving forward, as a director has come on board.
With a script by Brad Inglesby (Out of the Furnace), The Wrap reports that the studio have hired Patrick Hughes, who last directed Red Hill and is putting the finishing touches on The Expendables 3. Produced by Evans, there’s no solid word on casting yet, but the trade says that brothers Chris and Liam Hemsworth are being sought after to lead. With latter taking part in the franchise Hughes is now helming, as well as all being Aussies, we suppose there’s a connection there, so we’ll have to see how it shakes out.
Meanwhile, Evans’ follow-up The Raid 2 lands in theaters on March 28th and one can see our positive review out of the Sundance premiere here. As for the film that’ll round out the trilogy, Evans recently told Total Film that he’s headed in a very different direction. “[The Raid 3] is going to be very different from The Raid and The Raid 2,” he says. “It’s probably smaller to a certain degree. It has the potential to feel bigger, but it’s much more of an intimate story.” Check out a recently debuted poster for the latest film below.
What do you think of the potential casting? Is a remake necessary?