Death Race 2

Death Race 2 is a 2010 action film directed by Roel Reiné and written by Tony Giglio, who co-developed its story with Paul W. S. Anderson. It is a prequel to Death Race (2008), which is the prequel to Death Race 2000 (1975), and stars Luke Goss, Fred Koehler, Tanit Phoenix, Robin Shou, Lauren Cohan, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, and Sean Bean. Koehler and Shou reprise their supporting roles from Death Race, whereas Goss plays Carl "Luke" Lucas, a convicted cop killer who is sentenced to life in a for-profit, maximum-security prison on Terminal Island, where he is forced to compete in the titular reality show to earn his freedom. Death Race 2 tells the origin story of the franchise's protagonist Frankenstein without the directorial involvement of Anderson, who was retained as producer, or the appearance of Jason Statham. Reiné signed on to direct, and filming began in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 13, 2010. He directed the 30-day shoot without a second unit, served as his own cinematographer (albeit uncredited), and opted for locations where he could have a few sets going at once to manage the schedule and the $6–7 million budget. Paul Haslinger returned as score composer. Universal Pictures released the film direct-to-video through its home entertainment division on January 18, 2011, with a United Kingdom release date of December 27, 2010. It earned $8.4 million in US home video sales. Reviews were mixed, comparing Death Race 2 with Anderson's version and with the typical direct-to-video releases. Reiné also directed a direct-to-video sequel, Death Race 3: Inferno (2013).