Another day another remake, this one a little more surprising than most though. The original DISTRICT B13 French action thrillers are fast moving and action packed little movies which have some stunning parkour and martial arts sequences. The story is a riff on ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and manages to make even the most non photogenic performers (hired purely for their abilities) look cool.

Now word is that Paul Walker, currently hot again after the massive success of FAST FIVE, is in talks to star in BRICK MANSIONS the American remake of the films. Luc Besson who co-wrote the first 2004 film will script the remake with his regular collaborator Robert Mark Kamen. The frankly amazing creator of parkour and star of the first film David Belle will also co-star alongside Walker.

The film will be set in some big American city where an undercover detective discovers a weapon of mass destruction has been stolen by a drug dealer and stored somewhere in the ghetto known as Brick Mansions. The detective must then team up with local badass who knows the mansions like the back of his hand and is the only resident who does not live in fear of the locals.

No director is in place at the moment for this film and neither is a distribution deal. It’s more than likely that the distributors will be looking at the cash that Besson’s previous efforts have brought in with his Europa Corp production company and will make a decision based on that. The original director Pierre Morel went on to direct the smash hit film TAKEN a couple of years ago, it is more than likely he will have some kind of involvement even if he doesn’t direct.

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