Franchise Fred Exclusive: Frank Grillo Got The Raid Remake Rights Back From Screen Gems

Frank Grillo was at TCA for his Audience Network series Kingdom. We’ll bring you the full interview when Kingdom season three returns in May, but while speaking with Grillo at the Audience party, he mentioned that he got the rights to The Raid remake back. Grillo was attached to an English language remake at Sony’s Screen Gems arm that ran into development problems. Sony Pictures Classics released The Raid in the U.S.

The Raid remake is back on!

“My partner Joe Carnahan and I, we got the Raid title from Screen Gems and we’re going to remake the movie,” Grillo said. “We’re in the process of doing that right now. Us, a company called XYZ who own the movie, we’re going to relaunch The Raid.

The Screen Gems version would have partnered Grillo with Taylor Kitsch. Grillo said Kitsch is out, as is that entire script. Carnahan’s take is more faithful to the Indonesian martial arts film directed by Gareth Huw Evans.

“Totally new script,” Grillo said. “Joe Carnahan rewrote it. Far more faithful to what Gareth did in the first movie and yet it’s an entirely new spin on the film. Gareth is a big part of this because he’s one of the producers. It’s us not trying to remake a film as much as it is to give our version of what that thing was.”

The Raid introduced much of the world to the Indonesian martial art of Silat. The simple premise had a pair of cops outnumbered in a crime lord’s drug den having to fight their way up to the big boss. Grillo mentioned an American action hit as a new inspiration for the fights in The Raid.

Can The Raid remake top this?

“Insane fights, insane tactical stuff,” Grillo said. “We’re big fans of John Wick. Those guys are good friends of ours. It’s 10 times better than what that was tactically. We have the best people in the world coming to choreograph what we think will be fights no one’s ever seen before. So to honor what the first Raid movie was but to elevate it.”

Grillo himself practices mixed martial arts, which lend themselves to his role on Kingdom as the owner of an MMA gym. Kingdom returns May 31. More with Frank Grillo from TCA here at We Live Entertainment and in May when Kingdom returns with a third season.