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 hit the big screen again with a new installment, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, that added Scott Adkins to the mix alongside Van Damme and Lundgren. However, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning was the last of the movie series despite getting a surprisingly positive critical response compared to its predecessors. The Equalizer's writer Richard Wenk mentioned in a 2018 interview that he was finishing up a re-imagining of Universal Soldier. However, since no other updates about Wenk's script have been made since then, it is safe to say that the window of opportunity for a reboot is still open.

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.

Like the MCU and DCU restored the fascination for comic book superheroes, Universal Soldier can bring back the unforgiving showdowns between Private Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott while weaving new stories around the rivalry of the undead soldiers. Since it has been over a decade since Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning's release, the franchise's reboot could also benefit from the advancements in visual effects. Considering that the action scenes in Universal Soldier were already quite impressive back in the day, an upgrade in CGI could give it a solid edge over other action franchises and even add more heft to its spectacularly slambang grounding and pounding.

Could Jean-Claude Van Damme Have A Role In A Universal Soldier Reboot?


Jean-Claude Van Damme's recent acting credits and upcoming movie projects suggest he is showing no signs of slowing down. "The Muscles from Brussels" still packs a punch and delivers his one-liners with the utmost grace and charm. In recent years, he has also reinvented himself as an actor by adding some diverse non-action-centric roles to his resume, which affirms that he can bring a lot more than roundhouse kicks and leg splits to the table. Jean-Claude Van Damme's vitality as a movie star and willingness to return to the reboots of other action franchises like Kickboxer suggests that he would not mind having a role in Universal Soldier's reboot.