Point Break could use a remake. It’s a fun, ridiculous action movie laced with 80s excess, but beyond nostalgia glasses, its hardly sacred ground. Plus, what is Point Break at its core anyway? A heist movie punctuated by adrenaline and a cop who gets too close to the wrong side of the law. Inasmuch, it gets remade several times every single year (except without the extreme sports angle).
We’ve known that Alcon and Warners have been plotting to remake the 1991 movie since 2011 with a script from Kurt Wimmer (after bailing on a truly bizarre sequel concept from Jan De Bont), and now Deadline Hollywood is reporting that they’ve secured Ericson Core to direct. Despite having a name that sounds like a cell phone, Core has done some strong work as a DP (Payback, The Fast and the Furious) and his one previous shot as a director, Invincible, was notable for its design and its character work. So, no, he’s not the biggest name out there, but he’s absolutely shown the potential as a technician to create a buddy action film with a little depth to it.
Plus, despite a few highs and lows (usually caused by directors), Wimmer will always be the writer behind Equilibrium and The Thomas Crown Affair – which happens to be one of the few modern examples of a remake that’s arguably better than the original. Rallying for the promise of a remake isn’t popular, but the opportunity for a new Point Break seems cut and dry: a high concept action movie is getting an update to bring it into the age of Red Bull and the X Games. We can all stop clutching our pearls now. This thing might just be completely awesome.