Development Following informal mentions of the impending remake by director Dallas Jackson, including in a June 2019 interview with the
Los Angeles Sentinel, Netflix officially announced the project in August of that year, promising a humorous take on its 1995 inspiration. Kim Todd was listed as one of the
producers, however Rhonda Baker is credited in the finished film. A new
sidekick character, Gus, was added to the story by Jackson. The role was given to
comedian Gary Owen, who had previously supported Michael Jai White in Universal's
Undercover Brother 2. White recommended Michael Eklund for the role of main
villain Alpha, based on his performance in 2011's
Tactical Force, which co-starred himself and
Steve Austin. The star's
spouse and frequent on-screen partner
Gillian White also joined the project, as did his go-to
fight choreographer Larnell Stovall. Crump are part of
Robert "RZA" Diggs' extended artistic circle, and Diggs' record company provided most of the songs heard on its soundtrack. Irit Raz, an
Undisputed franchise alumn with some familiarity for Stovall and White's style, was the original choice to edit the film.
Eric Potter was later brought in at Universal's behest. This resulted in some interference with White's vision, as the studio-appointed editor relied on an abundance of quick cuts, which are often used to enhance the performances of non-
martial artists in mainstream action cinema.
Welcome to Sudden Death was originally slated for a June 2020 release, then delayed to late September of that year. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on 6 August and wrap up on 4 September 2019. The film used Winnipeg's
Bell MTS Place as stand-in for Phoenix's fictional Odyssey Center. Some backgrounds hint at the film's actual shooting location, such as a food stand named the Aviators' Grill—after the
Winnipeg Jets—and selling
poutine, a traditional
Canadian dish that is seldom offered in basketball arenas of the
Southwestern United States. The production relied on local talent for its basketball sequences.
Fort Richmond's Dan Becker, a former
NCAA player with the
Colorado Buffaloes, appears as the New York Knights'
head coach and helped stage the on-court action. He previously served as an actor and consultant for the
ESPN college basketball drama
A Season on the Brink: The Bobby Knight Story, which was also shot in Winnipeg. ==Release==