The original version of “The Longest Yard” was produced and co-written by Albert S. Ruddy, who won a best picture Oscar for producing the 1972 mob movie classic “The Godfather.” The film also stars prolific character actor Ed Lauter as prison guard and team leader Captain Knauer, as well as Richard Kiel as the towering prisoner, Samson. After “The Longest Yard,” Kiel would go on to play the steely-toothed henchman Jaws in a pair of Roger Moore’s James Bond movies.
The new remake is being made by production company Gunpowder & Sky. According to Deadline, the company’s CEO, Van Toffler, was an executive producer on the 2005 remake of “The Longest Yard,” which was co-produced by Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
In addition to the Hollywood productions of “The Longest Yard,” the film was remade in the U.K. in 2001 under the name “Mean Machine.” Soccer star-turned-actor Vinnie Jones stars as Danny “Mean Machine” Meehan in the film, where the sport is changed from American football to soccer. Also, “The Longest Yard” was remade as the 2015 Egyptian film “Captain Masr,” where again, soccer was the sport at the center of the film.
As of this writing, there is no production timeline for the new remake of “The Longest Yard.”
