Just the other day, we reported that The Grey director Joe Carnahan was set to helm a remake of the 1974 actioner Death Wish. The revenge pic kicked off a wave of actions films and catapulted Charles Bronson to stardom. Very little was known about Carnahan’s version at the time we heard about his involvement, but the director recently took to Twitter to talk about his vision for the pic. He says it’s set in present day Los Angeles, and his goal is to capture an unseen version of L.A. a la Michael Mann’s gritty 2004 thriller Collateral. Hit the jump to hear more from Carnahan.
For those unfamiliar with the material, the original Death Wish centers on a liberal architect who sets out for vengeance after his wife and daughter are attacked. Carnahan shot out a series of tweets about what he has in store for the remake:
“Guys. I’m doing Death Wish. But this version is a re-imagining of the book and set in present day Los Angeles. The L.A. of Collateral… It’s on buses, cabs, metro trains. I want to show an unseen version of L.A. L.A. on foot. Prowling. Hunting. The vast emptiness of downtown… [Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn] did a phenomenal job shooting L.A. It took on a different dimension. That’s the key.â€
This sounds like an absolutely excellent way to approach an update of Death Wish. Carnahan has proven that he can do down and dirty with Narc and most recently The Grey, and these brief comments solidify my feeling that he’s the perfect man for the job. He went on to say that he’s actually writing a role in the film specifically for Frank Grillo, who starred in The Grey (no word on what role). Furthermore, for those afraid that the advent of Death Wish means the death of Carnahan’s Pablo Escobar passion project Killing Pablo, the director had these reassuring words to say:
“[Killing] Pablo is basically greenlit guys. That one isn't going anywhere. Promise… KP is happening. I'm not letting that one slip away.â€
Carnahan recently told Steve that, should The Grey do well at the box office (which is absolutely has), he’d love to next make Killing Pablo. While I’m not exactly sure whether Death Wish or Killing Pablo will come first, it’s encouraging to hear that he still has Pablo very much on the brain. Hopefully we hear more on both projects soon.
