Few filmmakers know their way around an action movie like John Woo, the mastermind director responsible for pictures like "Hard Boiled," "Red Cliff," "Hard Target" and the wonderfully-but-probably-not-intentionally-comical "Face/Off." But many directors would love to emulate Woo, what with his signature two-guns-and-some-doves style.
Director John H. Lee is going to get that chance, as the filmmaker has been tapped to helm a remake of Woo's classic action flick, "The Killer."
The 1989 Hong Kong classic starred Chow Yun-Fat as an unstoppably cool-blooded killing machine, and now, over twenty years later, Hollywood is going to do their best to remake the thing — in 3-D, no less!
Deadline reports that Essential Entertainment and Lion Rock Productions are currently in pre-production on their remake of "The Killer," with Lee directing, Woo producing and Josh Campbell on script duties. South Korean actor Jung Woo-Sung is taking on the role made famous by Yun-Fat, an assassin who risks everything to protect a singer he accidentally blinded — but in order to keep her safe, he has to call on the assistance of an LAPD detective that's trying to catch him.
"While all my films are special to me, 'The Killer' is truly one of my favorites," Woo said in a statement. "We are thrilled to reinvent it as an English-language film and know it’s in capable hands by the incredible visual style and tender emotion John H. Lee brings to all his films.”
“John Woo’s 'The Killer' is one of the most influential and classic action films of all-time," added John Fremes, president of worldwide distribution at Essential Entertainment. "The 3D version will no doubt appeal to fans of the original as well as capture a new generation of enthusiasts.”
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