A remake of Gareth Evans’ bone-crushing action classic The Raid has been in development for quite some time. Deadline has reported that The Raid remake is now moving forward at Netflix with Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) tapped to helm the project.
The Raid was written and directed by Gareth Evans and followed an elite Indonesian S.W.A.T. team as they infiltrated a high-rise building run by a ruthless drug lord. The action was non-stop and brutal so it’s clear why Hollywood is so keen to develop their own take on the franchise. The Raid remake will be set “in Philadelphia’s drug-infested ‘Badlands’ [as] an elite undercover DEA task force climb a ladder of cartel informants to catch an elusive kingpin.” Michael Bay and XYZ Films will produce with Gareth Evans also on board as an executive producer. “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 producers said in a statement. In addition to directing, Patrick Hughes will also co-write the script with James Beaufort.
If your memory is longer than mine, you might recall that Patrick Hughes was actually attached to direct The Raid remake back in 2014. He dropped out of the project the following year and the remake fell into the hands of Joe Carnahan and Frank Grillo, although they called it a “re-imagining of the same scenario” and not a remake. After parting ways with XYZ Films, Carnahan announced that he would continue with the project but that it was being rebranded as Zeno, leaving The Raid remake in need of a director once again. Enter Patrick Hughes once again. Time is a flat circle.