After over a decade since its final installment’s release, Jean-Claude Van Damme’s high-octane sci-fi action franchise Universal Soldier deserves a revisit — but this time as a full-fledged reboot, not as a remake or a sequel. Despite receiving a lukewarm response from viewers and critics, 1992’s Universal Soldier succeeded at the box office as a “more brawn, less brain” popcorn flick. Its story was continued by two TV movies that did not include the original cast and characters. Seven years later, Universal Soldier: The Return marked Van Damme’s homecoming to the franchise, following which 2009’s Universal Soldier: Regeneration reunited the first film’s leads, Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.
In 2012, the franchise returned to the big screen with a new installment, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, which added Scott Adkins to Van Damme and Lundgren. However, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning was the last film in the series, despite receiving a surprisingly positive critical response compared to its predecessors. The Equalizer screenwriter Richard Wenk mentioned in a 2018 interview that he was finishing up a reimagining of Universal Soldier. However, since there have been no other updates on Wenk’s script since then, it’s safe to say that the window of opportunity for a reboot is still open.
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Why A Universal Soldier Reboot Could Succeed Now
The resurgence of reboots and sequels of classics from the late 80s and 90s has taken over the box office recently, especially in the action genre. Age-old franchise films like Predator and Top Gun are being revived and reinvented so that they add something wholly unique to the mix without giving up on the quintessential narrative elements that made their parent movies so memorable. By retconning aspects that may not have aged too well over the years, JVCD’s Universal Soldier can also harp on the growing demand for reboots and reinstate its place as an action classic.
Much like the MCU and DCU have revived interest in comic book superheroes, Universal Soldier could bring back the cutthroat showdowns between Private Luk Deveraux and Andrew Scott while weaving new stories around the rivalry of undead soldiers. Since it’s been over a decade since Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, a reboot of the franchise could also benefit from advances in visual effects. Given that Universal Soldier’s fight scenes were already quite impressive in their day, an upgrade in CGI could give it a solid edge over other action franchises and even add more weight to its spectacularly crushing landings and punches.
