As Gareth Evans promotes his new Netflix thriller, Havoc, his thoughts have drifted back to The Raid: Redemption, the 2011 martial arts film widely considered the decade's action movie benchmark.
This groundbreaking film was followed by a respectable but less impactful sequel in 2014.
Following The Raid 2, Evans became a sought-after talent, leading to numerous big-budget commitments that ultimately sidelined any concrete plans for The Raid 3. However, fans might just have a reason to get excited once more, thanks to a recent encounter between Evans and the franchise's iconic action star, Iko Uwais.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Evans offered a cautiously optimistic outlook on a potential third Raid installment. "I'll see when it can happen, if it can happen, is my really sort of non-committal answer to that question," he stated.
He elaborated on a previous concept, revealing, "Initially, I had a concept that would've followed immediately after the back of The Raid 2. It was set literally minutes after the second one finished, but then I got busy with other projects, and then, before I even had time to think about it, so many years had passed that I couldn't do that version of that film anymore."
"So I kind of just left it and cast it aside and thought, 'Okay, well, I was happy with where we finished in The Raid 2, so I'm probably not going to do another version, not do a third part. So I just dismissed it outright."
The spark for a potential return to the franchise was seemingly reignited by a recent personal reunion with Iko Uwais after a seven-year gap. "I hadn't seen Iko in maybe seven years, and it was the first time we'd met each other in a long time. We keep in touch, we WhatsApp each other all the time, but this was the first time I'd seen him in a long time. And I've always seen Iko, because of the nature of how we met and the projects we've done, as my younger kid brother. And then, seeing him after the seven-year gap of time, I was kind of struck by how much he'd grown, how much he'd matured, how many different experiences he'd had."
Expanding on this reunion to JoBlo, Evans hinted at concrete ideas, saying, "And so yeah, maybe it is time at some point to reopen that door and consider something. Like, I definitely have an idea. I definitely have a concept in mind for it. So, that might happen a little bit further down the line."
Even if The Raid 3 doesn't materialize, Evans expressed a strong desire to collaborate with Uwais once again on a future project. "If it’s not The Raid 3, it’ll definitely be something because I’m just chomping at the bit to work with him again, and see if I can bring anything that I’ve lived during the time away from him and see what he could bring in the time that he’s been away from me to merge those together on a project that could be exciting to kind of get together again."
While nothing is set in stone, the rekindled connection between Evans and Uwais offers a small bit of hope for fans eager to see more bone-crunching action from The Raid universe.