Simon West Replaces Brian De Palma On 'Heat' Remake Starring Jason Statham

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by Cain Rodriguez
November 2, 2012 8:58 AM
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At this point, Jason Statham is genre unto himself and can consistently pull in a steady, though small, audience to the low-budget genre fare he churns out annually. Earlier this year it was announced that Statham would be starring in a Brian DePalma-helmed and William Goldman-scripted remake of the forgotten 1986 Burt Reynolds vehicle “Heat.” Though the film is still moving forward, the legendary auteur has been swapped out for schlock-impresario Simon West.

Though the initial hiring of DePalma came as a surprise it makes more sense that the director of “Con Air” and the “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” adaptation would handle the remake. Besides, West and Statham are in the midst of something of a bromance as the upcoming remake will mark their third collaboration in two years, “The Mechanic” (which has as a sequel being shopped on the floor of AFM) and this year’s surprisingly fun -- and dumb -- “The Expendables 2.”

Goldman, the legendary screenwriter behind “All The President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid,” has written the film based on his novel -- as he did for the 1986 film -- which follows an ex-mercenary working as a bodyguard in Las Vegas who teaches a meek man to be tough while seeking out revenge on a mobster who abused his escort friend. Given that the time between the release of the Reynolds-starring film and now saw the release of Michael Mann’s seminal crime drama, also titled “Heat,” we’d imagine there’s a title change in the cards for the remake. Shooting will start next February. [Variety]

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More: Heat (2013), Simon West, The Mechanic 2

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bwaters | November 2, 2012 9:36 PMReply

Hunh. Given that Statham said he passed on Fast 6 specifically to work with de Palma, that's surprising.