Would Arnie and Sly be proud? Two of their films are getting modern updates and we know who is attached to star. The first, a Commando remake from 20th Century Fox is looking at Avatar and Clash of the Titans star Sam Worthington to step into the boots of Matrix. [Production Weekly (via NewsinFilm)]
We reported on this news in April when they hired David Ayer (Harsh Times, Street Kings) to write and direct. He will put a “real-world” spin on the original premise of “a retired elite special forces operative sees his daughter kidnapped and is told she’ll die unless he gets on a plane and kills the rival of a nasty exiled dictator.”
Back then it was reported an unknown star will be “less brawny, but more skilled in covert tactics and weaponry.” I wouldn’t exactly call Worthington unknown, as he has had a ridiculously fast rise to blockbuster fame. He certainly is less brawny then the original Arnie character.
In other reboot news, Karl Urban (Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings) has been confirmed to star in the Judge Dredd remake penned by Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later). Our own Jack Giroux got the exclusive on this for FSR at Comic-Con, but now Empire has confirmed. Check out the quote from producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich below.
“The main thing about Dredd is that it’s a fantastic comic that was completely messed up 20 years ago. Our idea is to make a very hard, R-rated, gritty, realistic movie of Dredd in Megacity, so we’ve got to get the tone right. He’s not going to take off his helmet. His bike is going to feel real. He’s going to hit people and it’s going to feel real. There’s been a change in comic-book movies; they were treated unseriously and now they’re treated seriously. We’ve cast a guy called Karl Urban to play Dredd. We’ll be shooting in Johannesburg, it’s being directed by Pete Travis, we’re shooting with the people who did ‘District 9’ – and if we get it right, Alex [Garland] has a couple of ideas for other stories as well. It’s not based on any one comic, and [creator] John Wagner is involved in every decision.”
It sounds like they are doing the right thing in terms of Dredd, but I’d like Hollywood to stay away from Commando. What are your thoughts?