Michaela Coel Writing & Directing A 'Bloodsport' Remake For A24

Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1988 cult classic karate film, Bloodsport, is coming back, and Michaela Coel (I Will Destroy You, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) is writing and directing the remake for A24.

1988’s Bloodsport, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by Newt Arnold, followed a U.S. army captain and ninjutsu practitioner, Frank Dux, who goes AWOL to compete in an underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong called the Kumite.

Variety reports that Michaela Coel will write and direct the remake, and Marc Toberoff will produce. A24 will finance and distribute the film; the plot remains a mystery, and it’s unknown whether Coel herself will star in the remake.

“I have long been in awe of fighters, and astounded by the discipline, intensity, and isolation the sport demands of them,” Coel said. “I am excited to explore this world, especially so with A24 as my collaborators. LET’S F***ING GO.”

“In 1988, the now-iconic ‘Bloodsport’ introduced audiences to the gritty aesthetic of mixed martial arts,” said Toberoff. “I look forward to bringing back that high-energy tournament format to the big screen again.”

The Bloodsport remake will mark Coel’s continued relationship with A24 and her third collaboration with the entertainment company. She also has the miniseries First Day on Earth, which she wrote, executive produced, co-directed, and stars in, and Mother Mary, a “psychosexual drama starring Coel, Anne Hathaway, and Hunter Schaeger, which arrives in theaters April 17.

Consider us intrigued.