Transformers Director Boards High-Octane Reboot of a 90s Action Classic
Set It Off is primed for a high-octane comeback, with a Transformers filmmaker tapped to direct, Jeff Sneider reports. The 1996 crime thriller about four friends who turn to bank robbery is revving up for a new heist.
File this under reboots I did not have on the bingo card: a new Set It Off is moving forward, and the team behind it is already coming into focus.
So, what is getting remade?
According to a report from Jeff Sneider at The InSneider, the 1996 crime thriller Set It Off is getting a reboot. The original followed four friends who decide to pull a bank job, and it hit big with audiences and critics. F. Gary Gray directed it, with a lead quartet of Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise (in her feature debut). It earned $41 million at the box office and the soundtrack was a legit phenomenon: multiple singles charted, the album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Who is doing what on the reboot
- Director: Steven Caple Jr., who helmed 2023's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- Star/producer: Issa Rae (Insecure) is set to lead the cast and produce
- Writers: Syreeta Singleton (One of Them Days) and Nina Gloster (Star) are scripting
- Casting status: No other casting is known yet beyond Rae
Why this is interesting
Caple Jr. coming off a giant robot movie and stepping into a grounded heist drama is a swing, and Issa Rae leading and producing suggests this will have a clear, modern point of view. It sounds early days, but the original has real cultural staying power, so expect every choice here to get picked apart the second more details land.