One beauty of a remake is that it allows a new filmmaker a chance to take a known property and try something different from what audiences have seen before. That's what Director X has a chance to do with the release of SuperFly, and it sounds like audiences familiar with the original are due for some exciting surprises with the new take on the old narrative. That's something I brought up to SuperFly star Trevor Jackson during an interview at the film's recent press day in Los Angeles, and he noted that fans of the original Super Fly will be taken aback by the quality of the action and the twists taken by the plot. Jackson explained:
I think the martial arts scenes. I think the fight scenes are really dope. I think the story. Although it's the same, there are a lot of twists and turns that you don't see coming, even knowing the original story.
When you have talent from The Matrix trilogy working on your series, it makes a certain degree of sense to learn that your film will embrace explosive action in a major way. SuperFly is updating a lot of the narrative from the original, but it will also put a new focus on Youngblood Priest's knack for street-level kung-fu badassery. Beyond that, Trevor Jackson wants audiences to know that there are elements of the story that have been changed, so familiarity with the original film won't necessarily give you all of the insight that you need.
The action and the narrative aren't the only things that will apparently surprise audiences who are familiar with SuperFly. Trevor Jackson continued in our conversation at the SuperFly press day and explained that the film's fashion and the way in which this world has been constructed will feel fresh and understandable for contemporary audiences. The actor continued:
The clothes too. The clothes are like the new fly. Back in the day, it was a little over the top, but of course, that was the 1970s. So, I think 2018 is going to be cool for even this generation to see. Just the fashion, even the Snow Patrol. All white. It's just cool. It's our made-up world that has really real elements within it.
Want a closer look at our SuperFly interview with Trevor Jackson and Jason Mitchell? Check out a clip from the chat below to see what they had to say!
SuperFly is now in theaters. Make sure to check out CinemaBlend's full review of the 2018 remake of the 1972 cult classic, and head over to our movie premiere guide to get more information on all of the other films that are set to debut on the big screen this year!
