Remember 1975’s Death Race 2000? How about Paul W. S. Anderson's Death Race reboot series (2008 to 2018)? Movies of chaotic auto racing competition where the driver’s kills and survival earn fans, fame, fortune, and freedom. Either the cheesy comedic political satire or the straight-up 2000s action reboot film series, both options would make for exciting gameplay. Despite its gametastic narrative, there’s never been an official RPG, and that begs the question: Where’s the Death Race Roleplaying Game?
The 2000s remake series (4 movies under the Death Race banner sans date) is an actioner about criminals racing cars inside a for-profit prison. It’s still a televised (streamed) event, but it’s not a country-wide race to rack up kills. Instead, it’s a short track race meets demolition derby that’s as much about survival as it is about kills. The reboot series features actors like Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Joan Allen under the direction of Paul W. S. Anderson in the original and Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Sean Bean, and Danny Glover in the sequels. The new series trades the original’s satire, laughs, and practical effects for 2000s spectacle with actors taking this absurdity seriously in black and charcoal colored automobiles with power-up elements stolen from video games.
In case you’ve never seen a Roger Corman flick, let me qualify that “good” designation. Roger’s productions are not high art, instead they’re micro-budget schlock meant to capitalize on an existing or upcoming film or pop craze. As with many of Roger Corman’s movies, Death Race 2000 is cheesy, silly, violent, did not age well, and full of frivolous nudity. But the film moves at a quick pace – auto racing pun – and all of the screen time is dedicated to 1970s satire. It’s not boring, and if you’re a child of that era, the original movie lampoons elements of The System. Mixing fun and subversion makes Death Race 2000 a Corman classic.
Why did Roger Corman produce Death Race 2000? Because William Harrison’s 1973 short story, "Roller Ball Murder" was being adapted into the 1975 James Caan vehicle, Rollerball. Corman had a history of rushing movies to capitalize on a major studio release.
Produced by United Artists, Rollerball cost $5 to $6 million to film and the picture’s box office ranged from $6.2 million to $30 million based on different reports, which means a 1x to 5x return on that investment. Rollerball was a drama about a sport where you team roller skated, scored points, and killed the other team. Rollerball was, to my limited attention span, boring. Killer roller skaters? I should be laughing, instead I’m on my phone.
Just as Rollerball was based on a short story, Death Race 2000 was loosely based on Ib Melchior's 1956 short story "The Racer". Death Race 2000 cost around half a million to make, yet generated $8 to $14 million (a 16x to 28x return). The tale centered on auto races and laughs; it made money as it entertained even as it offended. When I watch Death Race 2000, it holds my attention with its mix of violence and absurdity.
The original Roger Corman Death Race 2000 series:
Among the unofficial spin-offs based on the first continuity, there’s the video game Carmageddon, which came from a failed deal to make a video game adaptation of Death Race 2000. There’s an unlicensed fan novel on Amazon, Death Race 3000 by Jon Lange.
Rebooting the original idea, there’s Paul W. S. Anderson Death Race (no year) series:
The Anderson/Statham Death Race inspired a mockbuster that same year, 2008’s Death Racers starring the Insane Clown Posse and professional wrestler Scott "Raven" Levy. Because it’s a mockbuster, it’s closer to the camp and grindhouse nature of the original Death Race 2000, but without the satire, humor, or any of the original’s charm.
Last and least, there’s a mockbuster starring DMX that tries to pull in Fast & Furious fans as well as Death Race fans with an insincere title. Released in 2020, Fast and Fierce: Death Race is more Fast & Furious, but there are car chases and the like, though not in the Death Race vein.
Totally unrelated to these films but very much in this wheelhouse, there’s 2017’s Blood Drive, starring a pre-Reacher Alan Ritchson. It’s a Cannonball Run motor race across a fuel-less dystopian America using cars that run on blood. The tone is hilarious carnage and dark humor in the vein of Death Race 2000. This TV series feels like the grindhouse, over-the-top action, mid-way point between the first Death Race films satire and the second series’ action-centric approach. Created by James Roland, it has a light tie to the second Death Race series in the form of Roel Reiné, who directed Death Race 2 and Death Race 3: Inferno as well as two episodes of Blood Drive.
There are countless car carnage concepts, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Twisted Metal video games (1995 to 2012) and the streaming series of the same name (2023 to present). They have the vehicles, the mayhem, and the cheesy humor to make for a fun time for fans of the Death Race movies.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
WHAT IS DEATH RACE?
In the original series (2 movies and 8 comic books), Death Race 2000 is a dystopian world where a handful of driver/navigator partner teams compete in an internationally televised competition. Both movies have Roger Corman as the producer, while the original featured the talents of a post-Kung Fu David Carradine and pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone and its sequel included Malcolm McDowell, Manu Bennett (Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in Arrow and Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit trilogy), and soap actor Marci Miller. Combining motor racing in garishly designed cars with The Most Dangerous Game as they race from coast-to-coast in custom automobiles, picking up points for the individuals that they run over, maim, and kill along the way. The bloodsport is a national pastime, and the winner is rewarded with a personal handshake from Mister President. Think of a world of casual violence, celebrated murder, and casual politics for laughs.The 2000s remake series (4 movies under the Death Race banner sans date) is an actioner about criminals racing cars inside a for-profit prison. It’s still a televised (streamed) event, but it’s not a country-wide race to rack up kills. Instead, it’s a short track race meets demolition derby that’s as much about survival as it is about kills. The reboot series features actors like Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Joan Allen under the direction of Paul W. S. Anderson in the original and Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Sean Bean, and Danny Glover in the sequels. The new series trades the original’s satire, laughs, and practical effects for 2000s spectacle with actors taking this absurdity seriously in black and charcoal colored automobiles with power-up elements stolen from video games.
I LOVE ME SOME ROGER CORMAN
When I need fun film trash, Roger Corman is my man! I’ve covered his Deathstalker films (here and here), so now it’s time for another juvenile movie with “death” in the title. Roger produced hundreds of LOW budget films resulting in hundreds of stinkers and some winners. However, if a million monkeys get to typing, sooner or later they’ll produce Death Race 2000, one of Corman’s “good” movies.In case you’ve never seen a Roger Corman flick, let me qualify that “good” designation. Roger’s productions are not high art, instead they’re micro-budget schlock meant to capitalize on an existing or upcoming film or pop craze. As with many of Roger Corman’s movies, Death Race 2000 is cheesy, silly, violent, did not age well, and full of frivolous nudity. But the film moves at a quick pace – auto racing pun – and all of the screen time is dedicated to 1970s satire. It’s not boring, and if you’re a child of that era, the original movie lampoons elements of The System. Mixing fun and subversion makes Death Race 2000 a Corman classic.
Why did Roger Corman produce Death Race 2000? Because William Harrison’s 1973 short story, "Roller Ball Murder" was being adapted into the 1975 James Caan vehicle, Rollerball. Corman had a history of rushing movies to capitalize on a major studio release.
Produced by United Artists, Rollerball cost $5 to $6 million to film and the picture’s box office ranged from $6.2 million to $30 million based on different reports, which means a 1x to 5x return on that investment. Rollerball was a drama about a sport where you team roller skated, scored points, and killed the other team. Rollerball was, to my limited attention span, boring. Killer roller skaters? I should be laughing, instead I’m on my phone.
Just as Rollerball was based on a short story, Death Race 2000 was loosely based on Ib Melchior's 1956 short story "The Racer". Death Race 2000 cost around half a million to make, yet generated $8 to $14 million (a 16x to 28x return). The tale centered on auto races and laughs; it made money as it entertained even as it offended. When I watch Death Race 2000, it holds my attention with its mix of violence and absurdity.
SEQUELS, REBOOTS, COMIC BOOKS, AND MOCKBUSTERS
For such a minor, low-budget grindhouse B-movie idea, there’s a variety of films that draw on the original Despite requiring vehicle stunts, there are quite a few movies, some comics, and unofficial spin-offs that grew out of the first movie.The original Roger Corman Death Race 2000 series:
- Death Race 2000 (1975, directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman)
- Death Race 2050 (2017, directed by G.J. Echternkamp and produced by Roger Corman)
Among the unofficial spin-offs based on the first continuity, there’s the video game Carmageddon, which came from a failed deal to make a video game adaptation of Death Race 2000. There’s an unlicensed fan novel on Amazon, Death Race 3000 by Jon Lange.
Rebooting the original idea, there’s Paul W. S. Anderson Death Race (no year) series:
- Death Race (2008, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson)
- Death Race 2 (2010, directed by Roel Reiné)
- Death Race 3: Inferno (2013, directed by Roel Reiné)
- Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018, directed by Don Michael Paul)
The Anderson/Statham Death Race inspired a mockbuster that same year, 2008’s Death Racers starring the Insane Clown Posse and professional wrestler Scott "Raven" Levy. Because it’s a mockbuster, it’s closer to the camp and grindhouse nature of the original Death Race 2000, but without the satire, humor, or any of the original’s charm.
Last and least, there’s a mockbuster starring DMX that tries to pull in Fast & Furious fans as well as Death Race fans with an insincere title. Released in 2020, Fast and Fierce: Death Race is more Fast & Furious, but there are car chases and the like, though not in the Death Race vein.
Totally unrelated to these films but very much in this wheelhouse, there’s 2017’s Blood Drive, starring a pre-Reacher Alan Ritchson. It’s a Cannonball Run motor race across a fuel-less dystopian America using cars that run on blood. The tone is hilarious carnage and dark humor in the vein of Death Race 2000. This TV series feels like the grindhouse, over-the-top action, mid-way point between the first Death Race films satire and the second series’ action-centric approach. Created by James Roland, it has a light tie to the second Death Race series in the form of Roel Reiné, who directed Death Race 2 and Death Race 3: Inferno as well as two episodes of Blood Drive.
There are countless car carnage concepts, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Twisted Metal video games (1995 to 2012) and the streaming series of the same name (2023 to present). They have the vehicles, the mayhem, and the cheesy humor to make for a fun time for fans of the Death Race movies.
THE FINISH LINE?
This is fertile ground for a tabletop game; competition, violence, and a goal beyond simply winning the race. In the next article, we’ll look at some tabletop games from Goodman Games, 9th Level Games, and Steve Jackson Games that could and should influence a hypothetical Death Race RPG as well as some original options to build out a game.Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
