Glen Powell the Top Choice for a ‘Backdraft’ Remake

Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Glazer dropped word of the potential new movie during a wide-ranging interview, but it’s still at an early stage.

(Left) Glen Powell as Tyler in 'Twisters', directed by Lee Isaac Chung. (Right) Kurt Russell in 'Backdraft'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Preview:

Producer Brian Glazer says he’s working on a ‘Backdraft’ remake.
He mentions Glen Powell is likely to star in the project.
There are no other official details yet.

Glen Powell is, as the old phrase runs, “so hot right now”. He confirmed his star status with the likes of ‘Anyone But You’ and ‘Hit Man’ and is in theaters again this weekend with ‘Twisters’, which has been picking up some positive reviews like a tornado scoops up cows and cars.

You can imagine, then, that he’s high on studios and production companies’ list of people to work with, and that includes Brian Grazer.

The veteran producer, a business partner of Ron Howard, who has shepherded many movies and TV shows to screens of all sizes, is now talking about going back to territory that he and Howard tackled in 1991.

Backdraft

"Silently behind a door, it waits. One breath of oxygen and it explodes in a deadly rage. In that instant it can create a hero...or cover a secret."

R2 hr 17 minMay 24th, 1991

Watch Backdraft Online

And if he really intends to do it, he apparently needs A) a fire axe and B) Glen Powell –– as, according to what Grazer told CNBC business series Squawk Box as part of a wider interview about Hollywood’s future, he dropped mention of a potential remake of ‘Backdraft’.

Here’s what Grazer had to say:

“Imagine [Entertainment] has always played in that zone where there is that chance, high probability of chance, that it [a movie] will be successful in a movie theater. It’s great for us because we’ve built, over 30 years, over 100 different products –– brands. Whether it’s ‘Backdraft’ which I’m now going to do today with Glen Powell, or whether it’s 24, a movie that we’re going to do in a very interesting way with Disney-Fox.”

You can find more about the ‘24’ movie in our report below.

What’s the Story of ‘Backdraft’?

(L to R) William Baldwin, Kurt Russell and Scott Glenn in 'Backdraft'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

‘Backdraft’ –– directed by Howard from a script by Gregory Widen, follows Chicago firefighting brothers Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian (William Baldwin), who have been rivals since childhood.

Brian, struggling to prove himself, transfers to the arson unit. There he aids Don (Robert De Niro) in his investigation into a spate of fires involving oxygen-induced infernos called backdrafts. But when a conspiracy implicating a crooked politician and an arsonist leads Brian back to Stephen, he is forced to overcome his brotherly competitiveness in order to crack the case.

It was a big box office hit, earning more than $150 million worldwide (in 1991, don’t forget) from a $40 million budget.

And in case your remake anger levels are rising, you might also recall –– or, for most people, learn –– that a sequel to the original arrived in 2019. William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland were among the actors who returned for the straight-to-video effort that arrived with little heat.

What Else Did Grazer Say About a Potential New ‘Backdraft’?

Kurt Russell in 'Backdraft'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

According to the producer, we could see the fire effects –– which were pretty superb back in the 1991 effort, and brought to life practically –– given a modern-day make-over:

“AI and digital effects have so far advanced themselves that you can have tiny little cameras, almost imperceptible, that will capture the physics of a fire in a way that’s never been done before… Those are the advancements and benefits of AI and digital effects.”

Will Glen Powell Actually Star?

Glen Powell stars in 'Hit Man'. Photo: Netflix.

Grazer is not one to spread wild rumours, so his mentioning Powell’s name means there have probably been discussions even if there’s no deal in place. And given that there’s zero official word on any studio involvement (Universal has the rights), it’s a waiting game at this point.

Powell, meanwhile, is already attached to a remake or two: he’ll star in Edgar Wright’s take on ‘The Running Man’ and has been named as a potential lead for a new take on ‘Heaven Can Wait’.