Most people know Frank Grillo from his role as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Others might know him from his roles in films such as “Warrior,” “The Purge: Anarchy,” or 2018’s “Donnybrook.” But now, everyone is going to see Frank Grillo fully embrace his action star awesomeness in the new Joe Carnahan film, “Boss Level.” And this week, on The Playlist Podcast, Frank Grillo joins Charles, Brian, and Mike to talk about “Boss Level,” his recipe for a quality action film, what’s going on with that remake of “The Raid,” and much, much more.
“Boss Level” is an action film in the vein of those ‘80s and ‘90s action films where the charismatic, badass star does all manner of tough guy shit while awesome music plays in the background. Oh yeah, and there’s a time-loop plot device thrown in for good measure. But really, at its very core, “Boss Level” is a showcase for just why Frank Grillo is the action star that the world needs right now. And he wants to bring action films back to the basics.
“My thing is, I don’t want there to be cuts in my films. I want you to see me do it,” he said about the action in “Boss Level.” “What I’m learning is that it’s kinda becoming a rarity. There are guys that just don’t want to be involved with learning that skill set. I think it’s wrong, and I think we’re robbing the audience of what they really believe this person is.”
He added, “I don’t want to hear about how you’re an action star if you don’t do any of the action!”
With that, Grillo lays down the first of his basic tenants for what makes a quality action film. Another necessity for filmmakers wanting to create a memorable thriller? A believable lead.
“I think Justin Timberlake is a great guy,” said Grillo. “He’s an incredibly talented singer. They try to make him an action star? It’s not going to work. It’s just not going to work for me. And there are a lot of guys like that, to no fault of their own, that we try to make action stars. And I’m sorry, I don’t believe you. It doesn’t work.”
Because of his popularity in the MCU, combined with his tough-guy roles in ‘The Purge’ franchise and other films, Grillo has turned into the go-to guy for action films. And so, it was no surprise that he was set to make a remake of “The Raid.” However, over time, that ‘Raid’ remake turned into another film, “Zeno.” But that doesn’t mean “The Raid” remake isn’t in the works. The actor assured us that the film is still happening, but it’s currently in the lap of Patrick Hughes,” the director of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (and its forthcoming sequel).
“My buddy, Patrick Hughes, who I was originally doing the ‘Raid’ remake with, the ‘Raid,’ the title has come back to him through Sony,” said Grillo. “And he wants me to be in that. Somehow, I can’t get away from the world of ‘The Raid.’”
He added, “But [‘The Raid’] will be remade at some point, in some iteration. I can promise you that. I’m going to [be in the film]. Well, unless I’m too old.”
READ MORE: ‘The Raid 3’: Gareth Evans Details The Plot Of Unmade Sequel
So, we can assume that “The Raid” will eventually be remade. And when it does, Frank Grillo will be a part of it. But one franchise that he’s pretty much done with is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His character, Crossbones, was featured in “Captain America: Winter Soldier” and then in “Captain America: Civil War.” But unfortunately, Grillo’s character was killed in the latter film, something that the actor is still a bit miffed about.
“In the beginning, Crossbones was a very prominent figure in the MCU, but Kevin Feige took that whole thing in a different a different way with ‘The Avengers.’ It really went in a different direction. Unfortunately, Crossbones wasn’t part of that iteration. It was sad.”
He added, “When they called me to do ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ when Joe Russo called me and said, ‘I need you for a week,’ I’m like, ‘Nope, not coming.’ He was like, ‘What do you mean, you’re not coming?’ [Laughs] I was mad! I was mad that they killed me, right!?”
Obviously, Grillo was joking, and he said that he was definitely going to do ‘Endgame’ no matter what, but it’s clear the actor misses playing in the Marvel sandbox. Regardless, he has plenty of action films in the works over the next several years. So, if you’re bummed about Crossbones not being part of the MCU, there’s still a plethora of Frank Grillo showcases in the future.
“Boss Level” is available on Hulu now. You can hear the full interview with Frank Grillo below:
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