Riding high on a wave of buzz and hype, early last year Sony Pictures Classics not only picked up the distribution rights for Gareth Evans’ “The Raid” but also planned for the future by retitling the action film “The Raid: Redemption” for North American audiences to pave the way for a planned trilogy, preemptively buying the rights to the first sequel "Berandal." Yesterday the filmmaker took to Twitter (via MTV) to tease more details about what's in store for the followup, and it looks like our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) won't have much time to rest.
One of the bigger questions surrounding the sequel, the title of which means “thug,” was how the story would fit in with the first film, given that the material is being recycled from an earlier and unrelated film. Well, Evans says that the first scene of “Berandal” begins “2hrs after first film ends.”
He also says that shooting is set to begin shortly, on January 19th. Given how quickly Evans and his Indonesian crew works, we wouldn't be surprised to see the movie hit the festival circuit later this year. But then again, this one is taking place on a larger canvas. The first film was made with paltry $1 million budget, while the sequel is upping the ante with a budget of around $3 million. "Berandal"'s scope will be somewhat grander, as Evans has talked about bringing “car chase elements to it as well.” If you somehow missed the much-hyped action film last year, you can get prepared for the sequel by checking out “The Raid: Redemption” on DVD & Blu-ray.