Sony remaking 80s flick Blue Thunder; will trade helicopters for drones

Your first thought of Roy Scheider may be JAWS or SeaQuest DSV, but for me it will always be BLUE THUNDER. The 1983 action movie about a pilot using an enhanced military helicopter to patrol Los Angeles was one of my favorite movies growing up as a kid. The John Badham movie was not the greatest movie made but it had some pretty awesome aerial sequences. Now, the movie is being remade at Columbia Pictures with a significant change to the technology.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new BLUE THUNDER will not feature a helicopter but rather a drone aircraft. Drones have become popular in recent years due to their military applications in the Middle East as well as being made available for personal use.

BLUE THUNDER will be written by Craig Kyle who has scripted several Marvel animated films and is co-writing THOR: RAGNAROK with Christopher Yost. It will be produced by Dana Brunetti whose most recent success was FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. There is no word on an expected production or release date or even a director, but with at least two other drone themed films coming soon(GOOD KILL with Ethan Hawke and Gavin Hood‘s EYE IN THE SKY), I would expect BLUE THUNDER to move quickly.


Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.