The Warriors originally featured a gay gang called the Dingos, but they were cut from the film due to budget constraints.
The 1979 cult classic, directed and co-written by Walter Hill, was supposed to feature a leather-clad gay gang called the Dingoes. However, this particular gang of New Yorkers never made it to the final cut of The Warriors. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hill revealed that the decision to cut the gang, which he later regretted, was entirely due to budget cuts imposed by the studio. “We never filmed. I’m really sorry about that,” he said. “What I wanted to show was the gay gang in a positive light.” Building on this, Hill added that the Dingoes weren’t villains in the storyline. “It wasn’t a negative scene about the gay gang. I thought it was another way to stay ahead of [the times],” he said.
Hill went on to say that he had a vision for the Dingoes that was just as iconic as the titular Warriors and The Baseball Furies, with costume designer Bobbie Mannix dreaming up a distinctive look for the Dingoes. The gang was to be costumed in leather fetish clothing that would be adorned with chrome rivets and spikes. He added that the gang’s big scene would have seen them take Swan (played by Michael Beck) as a prisoner before he finally escaped them.
The warriors 40 years later
In the same interview, Hill also revealed that the sudden death of the Warrior Fox member, played by Thomas G. Waites, was due to on-set difficulties caused by the actor’s personal issues. Hill admitted he “felt terrible” about the decision and that he and Waites “didn’t get along very well”. work. So I took him out of the movie and did a quick rewrite and gave a lot of his material to the Michael Beck character.”
Since its release in 1979, The Warriors has become a cult classic. The film focuses on a night in New York where gangs raged through all five boroughs. A meeting of the gangs is called by the leader of the biggest and toughest gang, the Gramercy Riffs. However, things go awry when the Warriors are framed for the murder of the Gramercy Riffs’ leader. Trapped far from home, the gang members must navigate the city as they are pursued by rivals seeking revenge. The film’s cast included James Remar as Ajax, Roger Hill as Cyrus, and David Patrick Kelly as Luther.
The film itself is based on the 1965 book of the same name by novelist Sol Yurick, which was later adapted for the screen by Hill and David Shaber. Although there have been rumors about a potential remake of The Warriors, nothing has been confirmed. However, Grand Theft Auto Developer Rockstar Games adapted the film into a video game in 2005 for Xbox and PlayStation.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
