Remo Williams: The Adventure Returns?

Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 10, 2009

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I’d love to take credit for this… I did after all call for a sequel to Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins three months ago in a post about movies that actually deserve a sequel. But apparently Fred Ward shouldn’t be expecting a call just yet…

The original movie was based on a series of books called “The Destroyer” from authors Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir (and others later on). Per THR, the first book in the series which introduces the Remo Williams character is heading back to the screen. Which I guess makes this more of a reboot anyway. The movie is being scripted by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides (War of Gods) with the hope that it will be the beginning of a new franchise. There are currently over one hundred titles in the book series…

Can it top the Fred Ward/Joel Grey original in the fun department? Doubtful.

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Asian Guy

I liked the original Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. It was a silly and quirky action movie complete with bad acting, silly plot, and strange but fun characters. (future Star Trek Voyager's Kate Mulgrew, Wilford Brimly (Caccoon, Diabetes testing supply guy, J. Preston (a guy with one hand for no apparent reason, and of course Fred Ward as Remo Williams (an original name for a movie character if i ever heard one).

I even liked the idea behind the arrogant, wise-ass "old age asian master of a mystical martial arts" despite it reinforcing (in principle) a stupid Asian depiction that catered (and still caters) to western stereotypes of Asians because it was incredibly funny.

Having said that, i must say as an Asian American, that despite enjoying the movie, i was INCREDIBLY offended that Joel Grey was cast as Chun. I like Joel Grey whenever he pops up in things like House M.D. or ST:Voyager. But drawing "chinky" eyes on him and a ridiculous accent was tantamount to a Caucasian playing an African American by painting himself in shoe polish and saying "yes'm, I sho does like me some collared greens."

I realize the movie was from (arguably) a different era (the 80's) but inane casting like M.Night Shamalyan's Avatar the Last Airbender reminds me that that kind of crap still exists today and America still has a long way to go in terms of "walking the walk" and not just "talking the talk". Bad enough Asians get type cast in stereotypes - but when we get shut out from actually playing the stereotypes, there's something REALLY wrong with racism in Hollywood.

Remo Williams: The Adventure Returns?

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