Variety is reporting that director James McTeigue will be bringing us a reboot of the ’80s martial arts thriller Bloodsport. Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, the original film wasn’t exactly a classic (in fact, it got panned by critics) but it did well at the box office and was one of JCVD’s first starring roles, allowing the actor to show off his impressive athletic abilities.
The reboot is said to “explore the life of 21st century mercenaries as they collide with the underground world of Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting.” Written by Robert Mark Kamen and Phillip Noyce, the script will undergo a re-write from Craig Rosenberg before the film heads into production.
Casting hasn’t been announced but this project has been around for a while and Van Damme’s expressed interest in taking a role. That being said, Kamen doesn’t think that JVCD should be in the film, as he’s said in the past that “this is a character driven, politically motivated film. It has nothing to do with splits or muscles or grudge matches and as I said, if the title were not attached to the rights, you would not associate one film with the other.”
Fans of JVCD or martial arts films in general may find this news appealing but to the rest of us, the announcement of a Bloodsport reboot probably induces some eye-rolling and/or a collective ‘meh’. I mean sure, JVCD is awesome and he’s awesome in the original film but still, do we really need this? Besides, as Kamen said, if it wasn’t being called Bloodsport then people wouldn’t even associate one film with the other.
The only interesting thing to note here is that McTeigue is behind the camera. Having brought us films like V For Vendetta, Ninja Assassin and The Raven, the director is a bit hit or miss but all of his films certainly have their moments. V For Vendetta in particular is a pretty great movie while the other two are both admirable efforts held back by a couple of glaring flaws. Still, I’m excited to see what he does with this upcoming reboot, so hopefully it won’t turn out to be as crummy as it sounds.
What do you think of a Bloodsport reboot? Let us know in the comments below.