The producers of the epic, ultra-violent Indonesian action film The Raid (aka The Raid: Redemption), which scored the TIFF 2010 Audience Award in the Midnight Madness section and soon became a runaway international hit, have announced the beginning of production on the The Raid 2, also known as The Raid: Berandal. Writer/Director Gareth Huw Evans and star Iko Uwais are confirmed to be returning, with the cast rounded out by Tio Pakusadewo, Putra Arifin Scheunamann, Julie Estelle, Alex Abbad and Roy Marten.
Picking up right where the first film ends, The Raid 2 follows Rama (Uwais) as he goes undercover and infiltrates the ranks of a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover the corruption in his own police force. The ambitious shoot is scheduled to last 100 days, with a projected 2014 release. Evans promises the sequel will be “bigger, better and bloodier.”
In related news, XYZ Films, the studio behind The Raid 2, is currently in the post-production stage of Killers, a feature from Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, who also directed the incredibly gruesome “Safe Haven” installment in the V/H/S sequel S-VHS (check out our review here).