Glen Powell Starring In Another ’90s Disaster Reboot
Glen Powell has another 90s’ disaster reboot on the way. Producer Brian Grazer appeared on CNBC and announced that Glen Powell is set to star in a remake of the 1991 film Backdraft. The original film was directed by Ron Howard and starred Kurt Russell and William Baldwin as two firefighter brothers in Chicago working together to track down a serial arsonist.
Glen Powell apparently enjoyed his time on Twisters, the follow-up to the 1996 film Twister, as he actually approached Grazer with the idea for Backdraft. Grazer went on to talk about how the remake has the potential to be a huge hit thanks to modern visual effects and an audience preference for films with “real people.” The original film was met with relatively warm reviews and brought in some decent money at the box office, so it’s certainly possible a remake could be successful.
Backdraft isn’t quite as iconic as Twister, but Glen Powell’s current star power and the right casting and director combination could make the Backdraft remake a big hit.
Glazer and Glen Powell’s idea for a Backdraft remake being successful isn’t necessarily misguided if Twisters is any indicator. Twisters has been getting great early reviews so far and the projects for its opening weekend point to a potential box office smash. The film has been getting praise for its top-notch action and storm effects, along with likable and grounded characters, so Grazer’s assessment is spot on as far as what people want out of a summer blockbuster.
Backdraft isn’t quite as iconic as Twister, but Glen Powell’s current star power and the right casting and director combination could make the Backdraft remake a big hit. It’s unclear if this is going to be an outright remake or if it’s simply a reboot, like how Twisters is a standalone sequel to the original. If it’s an outright remake, it’s reasonable to assume that Powell would be cast in William Baldwin’s role as the younger brother while a more veteran star would take the Kurt Russell role.
Glen Powell’s Backdraft isn’t the only upcoming remake he has on his plate, as he’s also set to star in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man
Based on the early success of Twisters, it seems like the standalone sequel would be better for Glen Powell’s Backdraft film, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for this project. In the meantime, Powell is riding high off a string of recent successes. The actor broke out in a sequel to a 1980s classic with Top Gun: Maverick and continued the success with the recent rom-coms Anyone But You and the Richard Linklater-directed Hit Man.
The original film was directed by Ron Howard and starred Kurt Russell and William Baldwin as two firefighter brothers in Chicago working together to track down a serial arsonist.
Glen Powell’s Backdraft isn’t the only upcoming remake he has on his plate, as he’s also set to star in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, which is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel that was previously adapted in 1987 as a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In other words, starring in remakes and sequels to 1980s and 1990s films seems like it’s definitely working for Glen Powell, so it’s not surprising he signed on for another one. Powell also reportedly turned down reboots of Bourne Identity and Jurassic World, so it seems like he’s not starring in just any reboot that comes his way.
We’ll keep you updated on more news about Glen Powell’s upcoming Backdraft remake. In the meantime, you can see Powell in Twisters this weekend. The film also stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, and Sasha Lane.
