‘Remo Williams/Destroyer’ Project in the Works

‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’ is one of those classic films from the ’80s that never turned into the franchise it had potential for.   Based on the series of paperback novels, The Destroyer, it told the story of a cop whose death is faked in order to turn him into an government assassin.  

In 1985, Orion Pictures took The Destroyer and its lead character and turned it into a feature film starring Fred Ward as Williams.   Guy Hamilton, the director behind such classic, James Bond films as ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘The Man With the Golden Gun,’ was even behind the film, but it failed to make an impace with audience.   It pulled in a domestic take of $14 million against an estimated $40 million budget.

Now, nearly a quarter of a century after ‘Remo Williams,’ it looks like The Destroyer is getting a second chance at the big screen.   Risky Biz Blog is reporting that ‘The Dark Knight’ producer Charles Roven and ‘Transformers’ producer Steve Chasmen are teaming to produce ‘The Destroyer’ for Columbia Pictures.   Screenwriters Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, whose ‘War of Gods’ is the next directing project for Tarsem Singh, have signed on to write the screenplay.

‘The Destroyer’ is a rare case of a remake of an ’80s film that is actually warranted.   ‘Remo Williams’ was the perfect setup for a major franchise, and the series of novels numbers up around 150.   There are plenty of adventures already written for Williams to take on.   Here’s hoping Tommy Shaw’s theme song, What If, is also updated for the new film.

Source: Risky Biz Blog