Kings Road Entertainment announced in 2012 that they planned a
3-D remake of the film. Legal battles within the company, however, resulted in this version, along with several other planned remakes from the company, not being made.
Radar Pictures began developing a reboot of the film in 2013 with Jim McGrath and
Dimitri Logothetis writing; Logothetis is also produced along with
Ted Field and Nick Celozzi, Mike Weber and Peter Meyer executive producing and
Stephen Fung attached to direct with the film start filming in early 2014. On May 12, 2014, Deadline announced that The Exchange boarded sales on Radar with Brian O’Shea, Jeff Bowler and Nat McCormick executive producing the film and announced stunt man Alain Moussi will star in his first lead role with co-starring roles by
Georges St-Pierre,
Dave Bautista,
Scott Adkins, and
Tony Jaa.
J. J. Perry will be the action director and Larnell Stovall will be the fight choreographer. In November 2014, it was announced that Jaa and director Fung had left the project.
John Stockwell stepped in as the film's director. In December 2014, actors T. J. Storm,
Matthew Ziff and original film star
Jean-Claude Van Damme were cast in the film. On December 4,
Sara Malakul Lane joined the film to play the love interest of the lead character. On December 6, 2014,
Darren Shahlavi was cast as Eric Sloan, a role was originally meant for Adkins.
Filming Filming began in
New Orleans and
Thailand on November 24, 2014. Dave Bautista and Alain Moussi shot their final fight scene during the New Orleans shoot, due to Bautista having to leave early to shoot his scenes as Mr. Hinx in the
James Bond film Spectre. After completing the filming in New Orleans, Radar Pictures left without fully paying the crew and vendors. On February 10, 2015, producer Logothetis told
Variety that all 180 crew members had been paid in early February, and he also revealed that there would a two-weeks shooting taken place in
Thailand later that month. After the New Orleans shoot, actor
Darren Shahlavi, who played Eric Sloane, died at the age of 42 on January 14, 2015. Dimitri Logothesis said that the film will be dedicated to Darren's memory. Production re-emerged in June 2015, with
Alain Moussi going to Bangkok to film his scenes with
Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dimitri Logothetis took over directing the shoot in Thailand.
Distribution On March 15, 2016,
RLJ Entertainment acquired the United States right to the film, with the intention of a limited theatrical release and a Video on Demand release. ==Release==