Ron Howard is reportedly developing a sequel to the 1991 hit film Backdraft, and Glen Powell is said to be considering joining up.
Here’s an interesting story which suggests that Backdraft, the 1991 firefighting drama may be getting a sequel. Well, another sequel that is given that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a direct-to-video follow-up in 2019. Given that Ron Howard’s production company are involved this time though, we’d imagine that should this come to fruition, this one would be a proper bells and whistles sequel with a sizeable budget and lots of movie stars.
One movie star whose name was almost certain to pop up was that of Glen Powell.
He’s the man of the moment right now and he’s not averse to putting in a turn in legacy follow-ups either. Powell is currently appearing in Twisters, a loose follow-up to the 1996 film, Twister. He’s also appeared in Top Gun: Maverick and is leading the cast in a remake of 1987’s The Running Man. (In fairness, The Running Man is set to be a more direct adaptation of Stephen King’s book than a remake of the 80 Schwarzenegger movie, but still…)
Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer revealed to CNBC that he and Howard have been noodling with ideas for a sequel and Grazer indicates that Powell is at least considering lending his talents to the project.
It all sounds a little up in the air right now but 1991’s Backdraft was (and still is) a supremely watchable film with tonne of star power, plenty of things being set ablaze and a raunchy scene atop a fire truck that has supposedly seen lots of real-life firefighters get into trouble over the years for trying to emulate it.
In other words, it’s a proper movie and we were to get a proper movie sequel to it, that could only be a good thing. The original film, which followed a group of Chicago firefighters on the trail of a serial arsonist, starred Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland, Robert De Niro, Jason Gedrick, and J. T. Walsh.
That’s some cast list and should this project come to fruition, Powell would be a good start in assembling a cast to stand up to that of the original. Given how many legacy projects Powell now seems to be attached to, it’s surely only a matter of time before Michael Mann announces that Powell will be playing both the De Niro and the Pacino parts in his upcoming Heat prequel. You heard it here first.
As for Ron Howard’s Backdraft sequel, we’ll let you know more as and when we hear it.
