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Update 5:45 p.m.: Patrick Hughes' deal has closed and Screen Gems plans to start production this fall.

As “The Expendables 3″ buzz begins to build, filmmaker Patrick Hughes is in negotiations to direct “The Raid” remake for Screen Gems and XYZ films, TheWrap has learned.

XYZ Films will produce with Gareth Huw Evans, who directed “The Raid” and its ambitious sequel “The Raid 2,” which hits theaters in March.

Brad Inglesby (“Out of the Furnace”) wrote the script.

Casting has yet to begin but the Hemsworth brothers have been mentioned as possible targets for the hard-hitting action movie.

The original “Raid” followed an Indonesian S.W.A.T. team tasked with storming a building where a violent gangster and his thugs reign over innocent residents. One young cop has a mission of his own – to rescue his drug-dealing brother from the chaos inside.

The remake will feature a similar storyline, though it may be difficult for Hollywood stars to perform the brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes and other stunts with the same intensity as the original film’s martial arts experts.

Hughes has been rumored to be Screen Gems’ top choice for several weeks, as first mentioned by TheWrap during a visit to Shia LaBeouf’s art exhibit #IAmSorry.

Hughes is an acclaimed commercials director whose Ryan Kwanten movie “Red Hill” earned him the “Expendables 3″ job. He’s repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown.

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Fans of the cult classic “The Raid” may have to wait a little bit longer to see how the Screen Gems remake turns out.

Sources close to the production tell Variety that plans to begin shooting the action pic in September have been pushed back and pre-production has been halted. Insiders add that the film isn’t being put into turnaround and that the plan is to still shoot in the first quarter of 2015.

The film was getting close to a greenlight as execs were zeroing on an ensemble with sources indicating that Luke Evans, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo and Ethan Hawke were frontrunners for roles. However, other insiders said no casting decisions had been made and no offers were sent out. It’s possible that one reason for the delay is that producers are seeking a bigger name.

Patrick Hughes is still on board to direct.

Brad Ingelsby penned the script. XYZ Films is producing the pic.

In the 2011 original, an elite Indonesian S.W.A.T. team raids a building where a gangster and his thugs are embedded and chaos ensues. The remake will have a similar storyline.

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It was recently announced that you'd be directing THE RAID remake. What can you tell us about that?

It’s a really exciting project. Actually, I had the pleasure of catching up with Gareth [Evans, director of the original film] the other night in L.A., who’s EP [Executive Producer] on it. This one is a little more broader canvas. It’s a very different film, very different style of filmmaking. It centers around a DEA FAST (Foreign-Deployed Advisory and Support Team) Team that was formed during the Bush administration when the crossover between terrorism and the narcotics trade were so closely intertwined that they created a task force – I believe there are six teams that operate – they’re sort of like Navy SEALS but they operate in the world of narcotics. And, these teams work across borders so it centers around a team that goes across the border and, y’know, all hell breaks loose. One thing that blew me away with THE RAID, along with everyone else, was – you know, what was phenomenal – it wasn’t cut up, y’know. You could clearly tell that there weren’t stunt doubles involved because you weren’t cutting around the action, it was done in “oners” and that comes down to rigorous training and having incredible fight choreography play out. We’re just in the middle of casting right now.

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