Released in 1996, Set It Off is probably one of your favorite actor’s favorite movies. The crime thriller about four Black women in L.A. who go for broke by robbing a bank, is one of the most influential Black movies to emerge from that fruitful period. Back in 2019, Issa Rae set out to do a remake. Fresh off the success of comedy One of Them Days, which Rae produced, Set It Off has finally found its director.
According to Jeff Sneider, Creed II and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director Steven Caple Jr. has boarded Rae’s Set It Off remake. The original 1996 movie was directed by F. Gary Gray as his follow-up to Friday, and it was a surprising success with $41M on a $9M budget. The film’s popularity was built on the incredible chemistry of its stars, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise.
Caple is also reportedly attached to direct I Am Legend 2, but nothing is confirmed. He’s an underrated filmmaker, in my opinion. I thought he did a bang-up job taking over for Ryan Coogler on Creed II, and his 2016 debut crime thriller The Land is a must watch.
Rae initially set One of Them Days writer Syreeta Singleton and Nina Gloster on the screenplay. However, the script is getting another look by TV veteran C.A. Johnson (Filthy Rich). Rae will produce and star in the reimagining, which will lean more into comedy according to Singleton. We’ll see if that stays true after Johnson finishes the rewrite.
