MovieChat Forums > The Wild Geese (1978) Discussion > The good thing about the remake...?

The good thing about the remake...?

posted 17 years ago by markallanp
21 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so it's official. THEY ARE REMAKING WILD GEESE.
It will probably be naff, just like all the other remakes, like Get Carter, Time Machine, Escape from New York WILL BE, as was The FOG...
But here's the good news...
With a renewed interest, maybe the original will get a better treatment, commercialy.
For example, the DVD here in the UK states it has a Dolby SURROUND track.
The US edition CLAIMS, according to the packaging, to have a 6 Channel 5.1 Dolby soundtrack. IT HASN'T.
Also, the Australians have a dvd which says the same thing, and again, according to a friend of mine down under, has no 6 channel soundtrack.

MAYBE SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE ON THE PLANET, WILL REVAMP THIS MOVIE PROPERLY!

Also, how about a COMPLETE edition of the Roy Budd soundtrack, instead of the incomplete "album" there is now?

At least with the remake, these might ACTUALLY happen.

That said though, I'd love a part! lol!

"It's not the years...
It's the mileage."

[–] chrismahon2005 17 years ago

Bet they have a hard arse female merc in it to.

[–] DanielJAshleySmith 17 years ago

Bit annoying in a way... The Wild Geese is one of my favourites, and I am an aspiring film maker, and would have loved to do the re-make.

Ah well...

I hope they do the original justice.

----------------------
Daniel Ashley-Smith
Kent, England

[–] OC47150 17 years ago

I'm not crazy about remakes, either. I could see it set in modern times with a lot of ex-SAS, SBS, Paras with Iraq/Afghanistan experience.

The first actor that came to mind as one of the officer was Clive Owen. Don't know why. He just has a hard edge to him and would be perfect.

[–] dave_show 17 years ago

I'd make a great esposito;)

Seriously tho get rid of the woman!! I hope the people in this film will be allowed to call a spade a spade too. Wouldnt be surprised if it turned out the black government in the film was made to look in the right and TWG wrong. It will be interesting to see it just for comparisions sake and see how far modern filmmakers will go.

Doyle:Come on in darling the doors open

Bodie:Anything you say sweetheart:)

[–] voyager78906 17 years ago

as a RSM I suggest Clive Dunn. ( a nod to his role in Dads Army, he finaly go that stripe!)

[–] dave_show 17 years ago

ha ha ha right lads were gonna show these F\/ckin fuzzie Wuzzy B@stards what for. NOW DON'T PANIC DON'T PANIC YOU *beep* ABORTIONS!

Doyle:Come on in darling the doors open

Bodie:Anything you say sweetheart:)

[–] rglasby 17 years ago

If a re-make is ever done I hope it's done as a period piece and set in the 1950's.

[–] Cobin78 16 years ago

I agree. They should set the remake in the same time period as the original at least. I fear that if they try to remake it in modern time it will be rittled with too much political correctness. We'll probably see a female merc, token minorities and a bunch of ex-military with Gulf War expeerience. I think the characters would be more intersting if set in the 70s or later. With all the wars and turmoil present around the world then, the characters could have a wide variety of backgrounds from older WW2 vets, Legionaires who fougt in Vietnam in the 50s, and maybe a few American Vietnam vets. I think the mix of soldiers and expererinces that can be listed would make for a far better group than a bunch of modern soldiers talking peace keeping missions and Gulf War experience. How much experience can you get from a war that lasted 100 days on the ground? Some of the underhanded tactics used by the group in the original like gassing everybody as they slept probably couldn't be stomached by many of todays military. It's just not the same as it was before. In the remake that scene would have been changed to the soldiers tranquilizing everybody instead. Botton line I hope the remake is done right.

"I think you cry more than the fella I killed out from under that helmet"

- Cotton Hill.

[–] ashtontylo 16 years ago

Guy Ritchie will be directing the remake.I admit I'm secretly hoping for a Madonna cameo....:)

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Xcalat3 16 years ago

When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

[–] OC47150 13 years ago

Is the remake still happening? I hope not.

[–] sascha-17 12 years ago

http://www.theweek.co.uk/people/41605/guy-ritchie-remake-wild-geese

Couldn't find anything newer or more concrete than this, and it's from 2009.

While I do think that a remake would have to be a British affair, with British producers, a British director and, most importantly, British/European/African actors, I *so* hope they won't let Guy Ritchie loose on the subject.

Here's a film that needs to take itself seriously and which needs a clean, non-flashy/non-hip visual style.

The success of the two Expendables-movies might eventually be enough to convince the beancounters to rape yet another classic, but I'm not so sure that they'll really do it (at least not as a faithful adaptation). The whole story of Wild Geese is so un-PC: Even with all the stapled-on dialogue between Coetzee and Limbani it still boils down to "white man has to bail stupid (black) Africans out of trouble". Plus it has no female roles of any consequence (Witty doesn't count ;-) ).

So other than making it a period piece (too expensive), the only way to remake this thing in today's climate would be by totally abandoning everything that makes the original what it is. Personally, I'd dread to see the kind of film a modern screenwriter would come up with based on that premise. You know.. with details like a PG-13 rating, politically correct dialogue and probably at least one female "main" mercenary thrown into the mix.

S.

[–] mrmojo32 15 years ago

How much experience can you get from a war that lasted 100 days on the ground?

A lot. A couple of days is enough.

But you are right... It needs to be set in the 70's.

[–] rglasby 14 years ago

But you are right... It needs to be set in the 70's

No, set it in the 1950's.

With a real country as back drop.

Actors 35-40 years old would be correct.

Daniel Craig looks right for a part - probably an NCO...another tough guy actor would be Ray Stevenson.

Liam Neeson is the biggest star right now - probably the best candidate for Faulkner (though age is against him).
If not then David O'Hara (the tough Scott in Doomsday - if Neeson is cast, O'Hara would be a perfect RSM make him a Royal Scot 1st regt of foot and proud of it)

Jeremy Irons for Rafer (ditto about the age).

Use a real South African actor for Pieter Coetze.

Clive Owen for Shawn Fynn perhaps?

Gary Oldman as Witty.

I'd love Tyler Mane (Ajax in Troy) in there too - powerfully built actor).

Lastly, I've said before, Roger Moore would make a great Sir Edward Matherson.

[–] sascha-17 14 years ago

Oh God.. not another remake of a beloved classic.. :(

That said: Since the movie is based on a novel (which is actually pretty good), why not set the remake according to that novel?

IIRC, most of the mercenaries in the story were veterans of WW2 and the civil war in Congo, so it should be set in the late 60s/early 70s.

If they stray from that period, the whole politics of the original story (Apartheid, etc.) wouldn't work anymore.

Casting shouldn't be that hard with so many British tough-guy-actors around.

Graham McTavish (Sandy Young?)
Tom Hardy (Witty?)
Liam Neeson (Janders? Faulkner?)
Daniel Craig (Faulkner? Finn?)
Ray Stevenson (?)
Kevin McTish (Janders?)
and of course Arnold Vosloo as Pieter Coetzee

are all worthy of consideration.

If they keep Matherson, I'd love to see a famous veteran actor in that role ... someone like Sean Connery or even Roger Moore perhaps.

They should also look at some of the SA-actors in "District 9". Especially those playing the ruthless guns-for-hire in that flick would make excellent "Wild Geese" IMO.

[–] linop90 10 years ago

Please not just Yank and Brit mercenaries.
Have some Italians, French, Germans, Aussies.

Make it a true multinational force.

Eat the Neocons.

[–] nightranger86uk 10 years ago

They're bound to in keeping with making it all 'right on' and in keeping with political correctness and which would ruin it completely for me as it'd be completely unrealistic. I guarantee it'll go all 'Hollywood'. Alan Faulkner was loosely based on Major 'Mad Mike' Hoare. I can't ever recall that many ball breaking female mercenaries running round the Congo.

[–] Steve_2 15 years ago

I'm always down for a decent action movie. I think a remake might turn out well if they don't let political correctness ruin it.

[–] cm289 15 years ago

I always thought "Tears of the Sun" was an homage to this movie, if not a direct remake.

[–] OC47150 14 years ago

Any update on the remake?