How the ‘Remo Williams’ Super Spy Franchise Crashed and Burned in the ’80s

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  • ‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’ Is an Adult Version of ‘The Karate Kid’
  • ‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’ Had Excellent Franchise Potential
  • ‘Remo Williams’ Deserves a Feature Reboot or Television Series

As a long-time enthusiast of action-packed films and a diehard fan of the 80s, I must say that “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” is a gem that deserves a second chance. Having grown up in the era of VHS tapes and blockbuster movies, this film took me back to those carefree days of popcorn and excitement.

In the early ’80s, the James Bond movie franchise was going through a phase of change. The original actor, Roger Moore, who took on the role in 1973’s “Live and Let Die” and played Bond until the 1985 release of “A View to a Kill”, was planning to step down. With the series experiencing turbulence, Hollywood seized an opportunity to introduce a new Bond character.

In 1982, the first character resembling this role emerged on NBC TV screens with the premiere of “Remington Steele,” starring Pierce Brosnan, who was later known for his role in the Bond series, as a former swindler and burglar pretending to be Remington Steele, a fictional private investigator, assisting a female detective. The initial big-screen adaptation came out in 1985 with the release of “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,” an action-packed movie inspired by the “The Destroyer” book series. This film centers around Remo Williams, a New York cop whose death is staged for him to undergo training as a covert assassin for a clandestine US black-ops agency called CURE.

The movie titled “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” was designed by its distributor, Orion Pictures, to introduce the film’s protagonist, portrayed by Fred Ward, as an American counterpart to James Bond. To achieve this, the movie was helmed by Guy Hamilton, a director known for directing four Bond films including the iconic “Goldfinger” (1964), and the screenplay was penned by Christopher Wood, who is recognized for writing the scripts for the Bond films “Moonraker” and “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

Although it boasted intriguing aspects, the movie “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” unfortunately flopped at the box office, thereby thwarting plans for a Remo Williams film franchise. Over nearly four decades since its debut, “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” has managed to cultivate a dedicated fanbase and now serves as an emblem of unrealized potential that remains captivating.

‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’ Is an Adult Version of ‘The Karate Kid’

In the movie “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,” the bond between the student and teacher shares similarities with Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi from the 1984 martial arts film “The Karate Kid” and its sequels. However, unlike in these films where the relationship is centered around martial arts training, the student-teacher dynamic in “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” focuses on transforming the main character into a lethal solo operative.

As a movie enthusiast, allow me to share my take on the original statement:

In contrast to Mr. Miyagi’s traditional Okinawan Karate, Chiun instructs Remo in the fictional martial art of Sinanju, which grants him extraordinary abilities such as bullet dodging and running on solid surfaces like concrete and water. Similar to The Karate Kid, the movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins benefits from the compelling dynamic between its leads, Grey and Ward. Their humorous cross-cultural dialogue, characterized by Chiun’s wise yet stubborn demeanor, captivates audiences, fostering an emotional connection to Remo’s journey. This bond lays a strong groundwork for potential sequels if Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins achieves sufficient box office success.

‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’ Had Excellent Franchise Potential

As a film enthusiast, I found myself captivated by my personal journey through “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.” This movie is built upon the gripping backstory of its protagonist Remo and his enigmatic mentor Chiun. These intriguing elements add depth to the film, even surpassing a rather predictable narrative where Remo is assigned to take down a corrupt arms dealer.

Of course, the potential Remo Williams franchise hinged entirely on the first film’s box-office performance, which was entirely underwhelming. In its opening weekend of release, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins grossed just under $3.4 million, debuting in fourth place behind the Stephen King werewolf film Silver Bullet. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, which had a production cost of $15 million, finished its theatrical run with a lackluster total gross of approximately $14.4 million.

The main reason given for the movie’s poor performance at the box office was that its lead actor, the well-liked Fred Ward, didn’t have enough commercial charm to kickstart a successful franchise. Interestingly, even though Ward passed away at 79 in 2022, his casting as Remo Williams had led distributor Orion Pictures to believe so strongly in the movie’s success that they signed him up for three films in the planned series, hoping to launch a franchise with him.

‘Remo Williams’ Deserves a Feature Reboot or Television Series

1988 saw the broadcast of a one-hour TV pilot for “Remo Williams” on ABC, starring Jeffrey Meek as Remo and Roddy McDowall as Chiun. Titled “Remo Williams: The Prophecy,” this pilot was derived from the 1985 film and took place a year after its events, despite not leading to a series.

Around two years ago, Sony disclosed that Gordon Smith, renowned for his work on the series Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, was planning to adapt The Destroyer book series into a TV show. Yet, up until now, no series has been officially confirmed. In the meantime, you can stream Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins for free on Tubi.

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2024-11-30 07:01