Another cult classic to be butchered via the dreaded "remake" (1 Viewer)

Scott Weinberg · Apr 10, 2002

I got this news tidbit from www.darkhorizons.com :
MTV Films and Paramount Pictures are planning a remake of Walter Hill's 1979 cult classic The Warriors.
Two screenwriters I've never heard of (nor has IMDb apparently) named Travis Wright and John Glenn will pen the screenplay.
This one bugs me. I love The Warriors!!

Scott Weinberg · Apr 10, 2002

Addition:
Not five minutes later, I found this news at www.chud.com :

The dosh on the project is that they are doing the movie WITHOUT GUNS in order to keep the gang element completely and hopelessly unrealistic, I suppose. The basic plot is the same as the original, a big meeting is called of all the major gangs of New York (minus the pussy one DiCaprio is involved in as they're notoriously late always claiming "re-shoots") and in the midst of it, the big leader of the top gang gets assassinated.
Now, the Warriors have to make it all the way back to their neighborhood ODYSSEY-style dodging John Law and all the other gangs that think they're the killers. The new version will have a lot of martial arts action (but without the pimpin' threads, why bother, brotha?) as the Warriors have to fight different gangs (and likely different styles of fighters with different weapons) to get home.
Lawrence Gordon is on as a producer with the writing team of Travis Wright and John Glenn penning the thing. These are the guys who wrote the JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH adaptation for Fox 2000 and the Zanucks (that was, at one point, possibly going to be combined with the PLANET OF THE APES project) and then also RED WORLD, a project for Bruckheimer about a time traveler coming back to L.A. to stop future folk from colonizing present-day L.A.
Also on as producers are Van Toffler (POOTIE TANG, ELECTION), David Gale (CROSSROADS, ORANGE COUNTY), and first-timer MICHAEL COLE. So, it'll be MTV-ized. Hopefully, it'll just make the Walter Hill original look that much cooler.

Evan Case · Apr 10, 2002

They can come out and play-ee-ay, but I highly doubt they can get me to pay-ee-ay.

Funny thing, I could actually see this working with the right script and right filmmakers (surely there are dozens of colorful gangs not seen in the original). MTV films, alas, is not my idea of the right filmmakers.

I'll wait for the consensus on this one.

Evan

JasenP · Apr 10, 2002

I think it should be a musical. They don't need guns, they just dance and sing their aggressions. One of the gangs could be named The Sharks and another The Jets. They could "adapt" a Shakespeare play and... Oh wait...nevermind.

Jets come out and PLAYEEEEAAA! Nah, that doesn't work either.

Edwin Pereyra · Apr 10, 2002

Warriors... Come out and play-ee-ay...
As Scooby-Doo would say: "Uh-oh. Not me".

~Edwin

Garrett Lundy · Apr 10, 2002

The basic plot is the same as the original, a big meeting is called of all the major gangs of New York (minus the pussy one DiCaprio is involved in as they're notoriously late always claiming "re-shoots") and in the midst of it, the big leader of the top gang gets assassinated.

And they do this without guns? Do the assassins drop an anvil on his head or what? But I guess it could be worse, they could have remade Escape from New York or UHF I guess.

Click to expand...

Seth Paxton · Apr 10, 2002

Of course when The Warriors came out, and even moreso when West Side Story came out, guns were not as prevelent as they have become. In the WSS days it was all zip guns with bullets made from broken off car antennas and lots of knives.
So if Warriors was set back in time just a bit it would work for me, as the original did (at least the premise

). However, there would basically be no martial arts except maybe one Asian gang or something since karate and kung-fu weren't yet all the rage. Bruce Lee and Karate Kid had a lot to do with changing that.
But instead the fighting will be more out of place than in Brotherhood of the Wolf and I'm certain it won't look anywhere near as cool as BotW (which allowed that film to get away with it).
SSSSSUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!

MickeS · Apr 10, 2002

"The Warriors" is one of my all time favorite movies. It is emotional, violent and very entertaining.
If this is done right, it could work, and even though it would seem unrealistic that there'd be no guns, like the original, I think this is a necessary element. If not completely without guns, at least the guns should be kept to an absolute minimum; the whole point of The Warriors is that the gangs are fighting with eachother.
MTV Films has a decent record so far, I wouldn't worry about it just because of that (now, if it was MGM, I'd be REALLY worried...

)

JonZ · Apr 10, 2002

Worst idea ever

Carlo_M · Apr 11, 2002

Surprised David Tolsky's not chimed in here yet. Maybe he's not aware of the thread (or the attempt at a remake). Boy is he going to pitch a fit.

David Tolsky · Apr 11, 2002

Oh, I'm here Carlo

(thanks for the e-mail Robert) I have mixed emotions over this one. On the one hand it's kind of exciting to hear that a remake is even being considered for a movie like The Warriors.But remakes almost never turn out the way one hopes, witness the totally embarrassing Planet Of The Apes. What I had really hoped for after seeing the original Warriors for the first time was a sequel (I even thought about writing it myself and sending it to Walter Hill). When Hill started prepping for Streets of Fire, I thought, "Cool, maybe this is the sequel", but it wasn't. Hill's "Southern Comfort" came out after The Warriors and it was essentially the same story about a group of guys (National Guardsmen)having to avoid obstacles to get back 'home'.
So back to this remake: I loved the fight choreography of the original and this new movie would have to take the fight scenes to a whole new level. To make this a full blown martial arts movie doesn't sit well with me but if this is an updated version, you never know. If they get that choreographer from The Matrix, it could be cool. Also, I would want at least an R rating. Maintain the rawness of the original, don't tame it down. You know, the more I think about it, the more I don't want a remake of this movie.

Carlo_M · Apr 11, 2002

Ha ha ha! I was just about to send you an email with the link to this thread! :laugh:

I'm actually surprised at how open minded you're being. Not that we shouldn't be open minded. Just that Hollywood has recently had a bad track record of remakes. We'll just have to wait and see.

David Tolsky · Apr 11, 2002

Carlo, I would be very surprised if a remake of The Warriors would live up to my expectations. If it sucks, I'm really gonna be pissed. In the back of my mind I keep asking the question, "Why?" The original almost had a mythical quality to it, with the Baseball Furies dressed in uniforms and clown make-up, etc. I remember hearing a long time ago that when Sol Yurich wrote the book way back when, he based it on a story that dated back to Greek mythology. There was subtle symbolism in the movie, intentional or not,

that held the story together. I fear that a remake would not bother with such detail.

Bjorn Olav Nyberg · Apr 11, 2002

I must admit, my reaction was a bit like David's, a remake does not really detract from the original anyway, but they are of course an easy target for criticism since they inherently display a lack of originality from Hollywood. But the original Warriors wasn't that realistic either in my eyes, and the lack of guns was also kind of strange to me (but of course I saw it years later on television), also, if the movie is set in present day, martial arts may not really seem that out of place, as long as they keep it fairly realistic and nasty. Matrix style wire fu would probably seem out of place in this setting, but I will admit I tend to overlook such things anyway if I like it...

David Tolsky · Apr 11, 2002

Well, there wasn't a total lack of firearms in the movie. True, the gangs did not carry them in their group fights, but Cyrus was killed by one and the Lizzies had one too (they just didn't know how to use it). The real weapon of choice was just physical strength, and an occasional knife.

Lots of guns in a movie like the Warriors would not work. The kill is too instant. The movie prides itself on how a group of gang members can survive by "bopping" their way back home to Coney Island. As the movie gets longer, you learn how good they are at planning attacks and using creativity in place of guns, whether it be a spray-paint can in the face or a surprise attack in the subway bathroom stalls. The real fun of the movie is in the fight scenes.

Butch C · Apr 12, 2002

Seth,

Guns werent prevolent in 1970's New York?

The worriors kill cyrus with a crossbow.

Rex Bachmann · Apr 12, 2002

Seth Paxton wrote:

] as they have become.

Maybe not, but as I remember, the big claim to fame of this movie---it's hardly a "classic"!---is the gang-related(???) attacks in theaters that came about when it first appeared. I don't remember whether these were shootings or stabbings or both, but the film was withdrawn from theaters in some areas, I believe. There were plenty enough guns around even then.
The idea of a work of art is supposed to be its uniqueness. Almost all remakes detract from any good film upon which they are based.

Click to expand...

Chris Lynch · Apr 12, 2002

Just saw this not to long ago, and I really dug it. I would have loved this as a kid if it had break dancing in it.

The singer in my band practically forced me to watch this movie. I'm glad he did.
Oh, god, he's gonna hate it when I tell him this. Maybe I shouldn't tell him, let him find out on his own. Naw, it is better that he hears it from me. How does that saying go, about the bearer of bad news?

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