Having run out of action franchises of his own to revisit (though I’m still holding out for a Demolition Man sequel), Sylvester Stallone has decided to borrow material from Charles Bronson. He’s following new Rocky and Rambo sequels up by remaking Death Wish.
Variety says the do-over is being rescripted by T3 scribes Michael Ferris and John Brancato, with MGM and possibly Paramount (depending on how some legal jargon you probably don’t care about works out) backing it. Stallone is currently in talks to direct and star in the movie.
The original 1974 version of Death Wish starred legendary action man Charles Bronsan as an architect who becomes a vigilante after his wife his murdered by street punks. That has since been the plot of just about every vigilante themed movie ever released, including the Kevin Bacon movie Death Sentence, which was released a few weeks ago. So while Death Wish is something of a classic, the formula has been done and redone so many times since, Stallone will have his work cut out for him if he wants to make this concept seem fresh.
Interesting aside, this little blurb was included with Variety’s report: “Death Wish fits squarely into MGM's long-term strategy of assembling tentpoles based on a 4,100-title library that encompasses post-1985 MGM fare plus UA, Orion, Polygram, Samuel Goldwyn and Cannon titles.” That’s right, MGM’s long-term strategy isn’t to come up with fresh, new ideas or create original and exciting films. MGM’s mode of operation these days is to squeeze their existing properties for every drop of money they can get from them. I’m sure they’re not alone. So if you’ve ever wondered why we’re getting so many remakes, redos, and sequels, well there’s your answer. Stop buying tickets to them you suckers.
