The Raid Getting Netflix Reboot From Michael Bay, Gareth Evans And Patrick Hughes
The cult-classic action flick The Raid: Redemption is getting a "re-imagining" for Netflix. The new film adaptation of The Raid will see Michael Bay producing the feature with XYZ Films, while Patrick Hughes (The Hitman's Bodyguard) will direct and co-write the film with James Beaufort. The director of the original Raid: Redemption movie, Gareth Evans, will also executive produce the Netflix version. The Raid has spent about a decade trying to get some kind of Hollywood adaptation off the ground, ever since the original film (shot in Indonesia and heavily influenced by its culture) became a breakout hit. Now it seems it's finally happening.
The original version of The Raid: Redemption was (as stated) made within the Indonesian film industry, which Evans (who is Welsh) had tapped into through his wife and her family (who are Indonesian). The cultural influences were key, as The Raid's groundbreaking action sequences featured the Indonesian martial arts style "Pencak Silat." The story saw an elite squad of cops come to arrest a ruthless crimelord in Jarkta, only to find the high-rise building the crimelord resides in turned into an iron-clad gauntlet of thieves, murderers, junkies, and every nightmarish psychopath between the foyer and the penthouse. The first film spawned a sequel, The Raid 2 (2014), but the series never managed to earn more than $10 million for either film, though budgets of $5 million or less made the IP still viable.
Netflix's version of The Raid will move the location to Philadelphia and its "Badlands" area. The plot is described as following "an elite undercover DEA task force climb a ladder of cartel informants to catch an elusive kingpin."
The producing team behind Netflix's The Raid has released a statement, saying: "We're incredibly excited about Patrick's unique vision for this film. 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."
The A-Team director Joe Carnahan was set to direct The Raid remake that Hollywood had in the pipeline just a few years ago, with actor/writer Adam G. Simon handling the script work. The rights to that project reportedly expired, which allowed Netflix to scoop them up, and get this version into production.
No reported release date for Netflix's version of The Raid.