Joe Carnahan Confirms His The Raid Remake Being Reimagined as Original Project

For a few years now, filmmaker Joe Carnahan has been attached to an American remake of The Raid, based on the hit 2011 Indonesian action movie that has become a cult hit. Carnahan has gone as far as to cast Frank Grillo in the lead role, but development on the film has gone back even further and featured other filmmakers and talent attached. A new wrinkle has arisen in the film’s progress though, as Carnahan and Grillo have confirmed to Collider they’re no longer attached to the film under the title of “The Raid,” but that they still intend to use the script they were developing as a new movie they’re developing elsewhere.

The pair confirmed that they’ve “parted ways” with XYZ Films, who own the rights to use the title “The Raid,” but that their screenplay will go on to be the basis for their new movie titled “Zeno,” named for Grillo’s character. Grillo teased that the pair are going after some “big name” actors to co-star with him as his brother and the antagonist. The original The Raid told the story of a tactical police squad that must move up the floors of an apartment block to arrest a local crime lord. It became a fan favorite because of its stylish fight sequences and intense violence. Carnahan went on to say that their film is quite different from the original movie, specifically in terms of its plot.

“The version that I wrote, they don’t ever intend to actually go in [to the building],” Carnahan said. “They think that they’re gonna’ move this guy. So their whole operation is, ‘We’re gonna’ hit this guy in transit.’ It’s not until they realize, ‘Oh, they’re digging in, they’re not moving, we’ve got to now go in and get him,’ for those that know The Raid. It’s a very, very different script…It’s really, really, really about the brothers.”

Filmmaker Gareth Evans was the mastermind behind the 2011 film, following it up with The Raid 2: Berandal in 2014. The cast of the original The Raid exploded in popularity after the first movie with stars Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, and Cecep Arif Rahman making cameo appearances in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. Both Ruhian and Rahman went on to appear in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, going toe-to-toe with Keanu Reeves in one of the film’s climactic fights. Uwais can next be seen in the Snake Eyes movie from Paramount Pictures.