When it was confirmed just last year that Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces, The Grey) would be taking on a remake of 1974 vigilante classic Death Wish, it didn't evoke the normal gut-churning reaction to such stories. The original film, which starred Charles Bronson in his most iconic role, set the standard for the vengeance movies we see today, and Carnahan was the perfect guy to tackle an updated version. Too bad it's not happening, as he's now left the project after clashing with the studio over casting.
It looks like Carnahan and the the studios butted headed over who would take on the lead role with Paramount/MGM wanting Bruce Willis and the director wanting....well, anybody else. Carnahan took to Twitter shortly after the news broke and said this...
"You stick to your guns. You walk what you talk and you only make the things and do the work you love and believe in."
I agree with him completely. Willis is a terrible fit, and has long since stopped being the "everyman" needed to make the character believable. From a purely financial standpoint, the studios only are looking at the $120M the atrocious A Good Day to Die Hard has earned in barely two weeks. Presumably this means the role Carnahan was writing for Frank Grillo is no longer in play.
So my excitement for this just took a nosedive. Hopefully cooler heads prevail and they go with someone other than Willis, while landing a director just as suited to the material as Carnahan. [Deadline]
