Sci-Fi News and Reviews

"Death Race 3000" Gets The Yellow Flag

Roger Corman told SCI FI Wire that the remake and update of his classic movie "Death Race 2000" may have stalled. However, he also said that it is one of a handful of his past projects that he would consider remaking himself.

The updated version, "Death Race 3000," has been optioned by Cruise/Wagner Productions - Tom Cruise's company. Director Paul W.S. Anderson ("Alien vs. Predator" and "Resident Evil") wrote an initial draft of a screenplay but, according Corman, Tom didn't like it.

The 1975 campy cult favorite "Death Race 2000," directed by "Eating Raoul" writer/director Paul Bartel, starred David Carradine as heroic driver Frankenstein in a government sponsored cross-country race where drivers score points by running over pedestrians (with bonus points for the elderly).

"Death Race" also starred an up-in-coming Sylvester Stallone as the anti-hero and rival driver Machine Gun Joe. Stallone did "Rocky" the following year.

The original "Death Race" will be released on a special-edition DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment as part of a year-long series of Corman title releases. The new version of the DVD will include an audio commentary by Corman and Mary Woronov, who played driver Calamity Jane. Corman said Stallone would have done the commentary, but had a scheduling conflict.

Corman, famed B-movie icon with hundreds of titles to his name, said he rarely considers remaking any of his movies, but would consider taking a crack at "Death Race" again when and if the rights of the movie revert back to him in the next year.

The first installment of the Corman collection will include "Death Race" as well as "Rock 'N' Roll High School," "Big Bad Mama" and "DinoCroc." The films will be released individually to DVD December 13th (too bad it's not a Friday this year). -- Shannon Nolley

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Posted by Shannon on December 8, 2005 7:03 AM
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