Summary
Glen Powell is set to star in a remake of Kurt Russell’s hit movieBackdraft, and the project sets up a perfect reunion for the actor. Powell has rocketed to stardom in recent years thanks to the incredible string of hits withTop Gun: Maverick,Anybody But You,Hit Man, andTwisters. His newfound popularity has meant Hollywood has been eager to put manyGlen Powell movies in development, as every studio wants to be in business with the rising star. The latest project is aBackdraftremake starring Powell, with him working on a new take on the classic.
The 1991 original movie starred Kurt Russell and William Baldwin as brothers who embark on different careers as firefighters following the death of their father. Glen Powell now has his work cut out for him when it comes to topping the originalBackdraft, which received three Oscar nominations and had a successful $152 million box office run. Since the new movie is billed as a remake,it does not appear that Kurt Russell will return, nor are any other original stars expected to be back. But theBackdraftremake can still pull off a perfect co-star reunion.
Backdraft Remake: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know
The early-’90s disaster movie classic, Backdraft, is getting a brand-new remake, and Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell is already attached.
Glen Powell’s Backdraft Remake Needs To Cast Kurt Russell’s Son, Wyatt Russell
Backdraft Is All About Family
Glen Powell’s involvement in theBackdraftremake implies that Universal hopes to have him headline a new, younger cast of firefighters. There should be no shortage of options when it comes to finding co-stars for him, and it would be a big missed opportunity if Wyatt Russell, the real-life son of Kurt Russell, was not one of them. TheBackdraftmovie might be more of a remake than a legacy sequel, butbringing Wyatt aboard the cast would give the film an excellent legacy connection to the original.
The originalBackdraftstory has a heavy familial theme to it, so it would be natural for the remake to pay that off with casting a member of Kurt Russell’s family.Wyatt Russell and Glen Powell could even play brothers in the remakeif the movie looks to retain the same sibling dynamic of the first film. Since Wyatt Russell is three years older than Glen Powell, he could even slide into the older brother role that Kurt Russell’s Stephen “Bull” McCaffrey occupies.
Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell are fresh off starring as the same character, Lee Shaw, in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
What would make Wyatt Russell’s casting in Glen Powell’sBackdraftremake all the more exciting is that they’ve already been in a movie together. Wyatt and Glen were both part of the ensemble cast of Richard Linklater’s 2016 movieEverybody Wants Some!!, which earned great reviews and remains one ofGlen Powell’s best performances. The two actors were supporting characters in the film butstill showed glimpses of great chemistry togetherand the type of odd-ball brotherly bond that exists with sports teammates sometimes.
Backdraftwould be an opportunity for Glen Powell and Wyatt Russell to have more time to explore a fun on-screen dynamic. Whether they played brothers, friends, or rivals, it is easy to imagine how the two actors would play off each other. After seeing them together inEverybody Wants Some!!all those years ago, it would be great to see Powell and Russell share the screen again inBackdraft, with each getting more screen time after their respective breakouts.
