Brian De Palma and Jason Statham Remaking HEAT

Statham back doing what he does best… kicking ass.

Variety reports that Jason Statham has closed a deal to take the lead in a remake of ‘Heat,’ with Brian de Palma attached to direct. Fans of the Michael Mann classic can rest easy; Statham and de Palma will be remaking the 1986 film that starred Burt Reynolds.

The action thriller follows Nick Escalante “a recovering gambling addict who makes his living providing protection in the rough edges of the gambling world, refusing to resort to gunplay and using only hand and edged weapon combat. When a female friend is brutally beaten by a mobster, he endeavours to help the victim seek out revenge.”

William Goldman (‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ ‘Marathon Man,’ ‘All the President’s Men,’ ‘The Princess Bride’) is penning the remake. The Oscar winning scribe wrote the screenplay to the original film, and the novel it is based on.

Statham is producing alongside Steven Chasman, with principal photography set for late 2012 or early 2013 in France.