From a 20-man toilet brawl to a mud-soaked prison right, heralded action filmmaker Gareth Huw Evans has been keeping his fans and followers posted with all kinds of tweets and blurbs detailing the production of his latest sequel to the 2012 Indonesian urban-martial arts action hit, Seruban Maut, known in the U.S. and abroad as The Raid: Redemption.
With the release of new photos since production began in January, the expectations for this sequel have only been growing higher and higher. The action and scope of the upcoming film will be much larger, compared to the first. Gareth Evans explains in a statement from last year:
“We’re expanding the universe now, so it’s not going to be set in the building any more, it’s going to be out on the streets, and so it’s a much bigger film, it’s a much more ambitious movie. We’ve got some big action setpieces lined up.”
Currently titled Berandal (a.k.a. Punk or Thug) and slated to be titled internationally as The Raid: Retaliation, the story is set to take place directly after the events of the first film, with the cast that includes returning actors such as international action star Iko Uwais, Marsha Timothy, Mathias Muchus, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Putra Arifin Scheunamann, Roy Marten, Cecep Arif Rahman Matsuda Ryuhei, Endo Kenichi,Kitamura Kazuki and Julie Estelle, whose enigmatic role as the Hammer Girl (pictured above) has kept fans on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting a female presence on the Indonesian action scene of an Evans film.
PT Merantau’s Ario Sagantorio and XYZ Films’s Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian and Twitchfilm’s Todd Brown are producing the upcoming film, with executive producers Rangga Maya Barack-Evans and Irwan D. Mussry. Uwais will be re-joined by Yahan Ruihan, who appeared opposite Uwais and Redemption co-star Donny Alamsyah as “Mad Dog” in the first film, which garnished several awards for their memorable performances and fight scenes, including the climactic two-on-one fight scene near the end.
Also on board for the sequel is action choreographer Larnell Stovall, whose work includes films such as Dragon Eyes, Undisputed 3: Redemption, Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning, both seasons of Mortal Kombat Legacy, and the upcoming film to reboot Mortal Kombat itself.
SYNOPSIS:
Picking up right where the first film ends, The Raid 2 follows Rama (Uwais) as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover the corruption in his own police force.
Filming on Berandal is expected to finish this June. Stay tuned for some more photos and updates, and follow Gareth Evans on Twitter @ghuwevans.
(Click here for some extra Berandal Cast/Film Info, and bon apetit!)
