It’s been 23 years since Remedy Entertainment released the first Max Payne game and 21 years since they released Max Payne Two: The Fall of Max Payne. While Max Payne wasn’t the first game that Remedy made, that award instead goes to Death Race, it is the game that helped Remedy become what they are today. It would seem that the Max Payne and Max Payne Two remake is in full production now which means fans of the hard-boiled detective will be able to play Max again soon.
Max Payne Remake Confirmed
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In a recent financial report from Remedy Entertainment, they confirmed that the Max Payne One and Max Payne Two remake is in full production. In a press release from April 2022, Remedy confirmed that they’d be developing both games as single titles which is pretty cool. Sam Lake who has been a long-time writer at Remedy Entertainment wrote the story and script for Max Payne and also due to the game’s budget was the in-game and physical model for Max himself. One of Max’s most iconic features from the first game is Sam Lake’s grin.
For Max Payne Two: The Fall of Max Payne, Remedy hired Timothy Gibbs as the character model for the titular detective. Due to the first Max Payne game selling over four million units, the second one no doubt had a bigger budget which allowed them to hire a professional actor for the character. Hiring a professional actor wasn’t the only improvement Remedy made for the sequel as the gameplay and graphics were also improved. Max could now carry a second weapon allowing dual-wielding or throwing weapons like grenades and other explosives.
The late actor James McCaffrey who passed in December 2023 served as the voice actor for Max Payne’s iconic voice and Max’s character model for Max Payne Three. McCaffrey also provided the voice for Alex Casey who is essentially Max Payne but in Remedy’s connected universe which the Alan Wake and Control games are a part of. Remedy Entertainment memorialized James McCaffrey in Alan Wake Two’s Night Springs DLC which players can unlock after beating all three episodes. It’s been theorized that Alex Casey may have also had a playable section that was cut due to the unfortunate passing of McCaffrey.
Will Max Be Recast
The late James McCaffrey was the voice of Max Payne for well over a decade from 2001-2012 and starred as the grizzled detective for three games. With Remedy remaking the first two Max Payne games, fans of the character and of the late actor are wondering if Remedy will recast McCaffrey or use McCaffrey’s already existing audio. With them being remakes from the ground up, it’d be understandable if they wanted to add more story elements, re-work dialogue, etc. If that’s the case, they’d more than likely have to hire a new actor for the role of Max Payne.
At the same time though the late James McCaffrey had a very iconic voice and that voice is what helped Max Payne become the fan-favorite character he is today. Hearing a new actor in the role of Max could be jarring for any fan of the Remedy character. If they do recast the character, some fans have speculated that Timothy Gibbs could do well in the role. He sounds similar to McCaffrey and was already the model for Max in Max Payne Two: The Fall of Max Payne. Remedy is for sure faced with a tough decision though.
Remedy Sells Max Payne To Take-Two
Remedy Entertainment being both a smaller studio and an independent one would no doubt face challenges and one of those challenges came in the form of finances in 2002. Due to getting into some financial trouble, Remedy sold the rights to Max Payne to Take-Two Interactive back in May of 2002. Take-Two Interactive is also the parent company of Rockstar Games who make the Grand Theft Auto games. After the release of Max Payne Two, the series would lay dormant until 2012 when Rockstar released Max Payne Three.
Max Payne Three would swap New York City for Brazil with Max working as a private bodyguard for the Brazil billionaire Rodrigo Blanco. It was a controversial decision for sure to take a character known for fighting against a corrupt corporation and the organized crime of New York City and transport him all the way to Brazil. RockStar pulled it off though and Max would unwittingly be drawn into another conflict which would see four out of five members of the Blanco family end up dead. On the upside though, it would seem the end of Max Payne Three shows Max finally get his happy ending.
Max Payne Influences
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Almost everything is influenced by something and that’s no different with the Max Payne games. Two of the most obvious influences are Max’s use of bullet-time which was popularized in the first Matrix film and his jumping and acrobatics which is popular in John Woo and Hong Kong action films. Comics were also a pretty big influence as the story of Max Payne One and Two are told through the use of comic page cutscenes. Of course, the neo-noir genre which Max Payne fits into nicely was also a huge influence on the game.
What Will The Remakes Look Like
As for what the remake will look like right now anyone’s guess. Remedy is a developer known for upping the ante with every game they make and with a writing staff led by the incredibly talented Sam Lake, it’s hard to see Remedy straying away from what made them famous. It’ll be interesting to see what direction Remedy takes the Max Payne One and Two remake in but it’s a good bet whatever direction they go, it’ll pay off in the end.
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