Martial arts film fans received great news today as Deadline reported that the art-house distributor Sony Pictures Classics, the specialty outfit behind the Indie Spirit-nominated Take Shelter and David Cronenberg’s latest, A Dangerous Method, acquired U.S. distribution rights to the Indonesian fight epic THE RAID as part of an original deal made by Sony Pictures Worldwide at Cannes.
Writer/director Gareth Huw Evans’ movie premiered in front of enthusiastic Midnight Madness fans at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival who went crazy for the film’s Indonesian fighting style of silat by the action lead Iko Uwais.
Set in a Jakarta slum, Uwais starred as a SWAT team leader battling a ruthless drug lord and his enforcers after storming the drug lord’s headquarters and finding themselves outnumbered.
An English-language remake of The Raid continued to be prepped at Screen Gems and Evans prepped a follow-up to The Raid using the original cast and characters back in Jakarta.
Sony Pictures Classics planned to release The Raid spring 2012.