Joe Carnahan Opens Up About 'Death Wish' Remake

[NelsonG]

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Word came down earlier this week that director [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/201098/personmain.jhtml"]Joe Carnahan[/url] had already lined up his next project, hot off the success of his most recent, "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/484163/moviemain.jhtml"]The Grey[/url]." Carnahan is set to direct a remake of the [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/7751/personmain.jhtml"]Charles Bronson[/url] punk-killing classic "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/8599/moviemain.jhtml"]Death Wish[/url]."

News of the remake hit fans' ears and the world erupted in a cry of "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/45905/personmain.jhtml"]Liam Neeson[/url] for 'Death Wish'!" but the director remained quiet about the project until Tuesday (January 31). Carnahan [url="http://www.twitter.com/carnojoe"]took to Twitter[/url] to give an update on the project and the way he intends on approaching it.

First off, Carnahan clarified exactly what the project is, a book adaptation instead of a film remake. "Guys. I'm doing 'Death Wish.' But this version is a re-imagining of the book and set in present day Los Angeles. The L.A. of '[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/238861/moviemain.jhtml"]Collateral[/url],'" he wrote.

Beyond the source material, Carnahan explained how his vision of L.A. will shape what the movie becomes. "It's on buses, cabs, metro trains. I want to show an unseen version of L.A," he wrote. "L.A. on foot. Prowling. Hunting. The vast emptiness of downtown." As his description sounded vaguely like [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/191081/personmain.jhtml"]Nicolas Winding Refn[/url]'s take on the City of Angeles from "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/191081/personmain.jhtml"]Drive[/url]," one fan mentioned it to Carnahan, who replied "Refn did a phenomenal job shooting L.A. It took on a different dimension. That's the key."

The tweet that many took as the director's biggest revelation was widely misinterpreted. "The only role I'm writing in 'Death Wish' which will mark the ONE time I've ever written exclusively for an actor, will be for @FrankGrillo," he wrote.

This was presumed to mean Grillo had the role of Paul Kersey, Charles Bronson in the original films. Carnahan quickly clarified that nowhere did he mention a specific character for Grillo. "Guys, I said I was writing a role for @FrankGrillo. Nobody said anything about Frank playing the Kersey part. Relax folks. We have a plan."

Grillo also mentioned that plans for "Death Wish" in no way derail his plans for a big screen adaptation of the true-life military story, "Killing Pablo."

[i]Who do you want to see in the lead role for Joe Carnahan's "Death Wish"? Tell us what you think in the comments below and on [url="http://www.twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



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