It's as clear a case of cause and effect as can possibly be imagined. After winning the weekend with 70s style throwback The Grey, director Joe Carnahan has reportedly been signed up to write and direct a remake of 1974 Charles Bronson starring vigilante picture Death Wish.
The original long running series was so iconic that it is far and away the role that Bronson is most associated with despite his long and varied career.
MGM and Paramount are backing the new version which will be produced by Jules Daly (The Grey) along with Ridley and Tony Scott's Scott Free Prods.
The original long running series was so iconic that it is far and away the role that Bronson is most associated with despite his long and varied career.
MGM and Paramount are backing the new version which will be produced by Jules Daly (The Grey) along with Ridley and Tony Scott's Scott Free Prods.
Ah. I've been hearing good things about The Grey, and his NPR interview has heartening (basically "I don't wanna just be the 'A-Team' guy"). I had heard his next thing was an adaptation of Mark "Kick-Ass" Millar's Nemesis which - honestly - is one of the most cynical, nonsensical books I've ever read. It could only work as a complete, deadpan, farce as it makes no sense, whatsoever. It would actually be great played that way, come to think of it.
I guess the bigger question here is why Death Wish? The original was a timely fantasy as urban crime was surging and people were terrified (culminating in the later Bernie Goetz subway incident in '84). Today, crime is, when considering the financial situation Stateside, surprisingly low. Both murder and rape statistics are dramatically lower than when the Death Wish series first ran. Can this film be made to say something else, to be as relevant as the first one was for it's era? Should be interesting to see what comes of it.
Wasn't Jodie Foster's The Brave One a loose remake/rehash of Death Wish? From what I remember of it, it was rather forgettable and unnecessary.
I actually like this idea. No one is going to confuse Death Wish for a great movie and its main appeal nowadays is either as a time capsule to the urban nightmare of the 70's or as a purely guilty pleasure. So its not like they're remaking Taxi Driver, or even Dirty Harry.
More importantly Carnahan is a pretty good choice. While people begrudge the A-Team (which was actually pretty good as far as retarded blockbusters go) he seems smart enough to realize that doing a straight remake wouldn't work from an artistic nor a political standpoint. Hopefully he can recapture what made Narc standout years ago.