John Woo to remake his breakthrough film The Killer for Peacock
The director plans on updating his quintessential Hong Kong action picture.
Aux News John Woo
Auteur filmmaker John Woo is set to join the ranks of Michael Mann, Frank Capra, and Alfred Hitchcock (all directors who remade their own films) with an American language reimagining of his quintessential action picture, The Killer (1989).
Peacock has announced that Woo will return to “reimagine and direct his own classic,” the original of which featured Chow Yun-fat as an assassin who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer (Sally Yeh) during a job, and agrees to kill a triad boss to pay for the operation.
There have been plans for an American remake of The Killer since as far back as 1992 when Walter Jill and David Giler penned a script that was intended for Richard Gere and Denzel Washington. And back in 2018, Lupita Nyong’o was set to step into Chow Yun-fat’s slick linen suit (sleeves rolled up, of course) and wield dual pistols in a gender-swapped take on the Hong Kong classic. There is no casting news for this most recent project at press time.
The Killer slowly turned into a hit in Woo’s native Hong Kong, placing 9th at that year’s box office and taking home awards for Best Director and Best Editing at the 9th annual Hong Kong Film Awards. The film developed a cult-following stateside and helped bring Hong Kong action cinema to American viewers in the ‘90s, influencing filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino and even rappers. The Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon cites Woo’s film as an influence on his 1995 record Only Built For Cuban Linx… with its theme of men with divisive beliefs needing to “become partners to work shit out.”
Woo began his career in 1969 at the legendary Shaw Studios and made his directorial debut with the kung-fu picture, The Young Dragons. In 1986, his film A Better Tomorrow found him showcasing his distinctive style which featured operatic stories of brotherhood coupled with beautifully choreographed ultraviolet gunfights. Woo made his American filmmaking debut with Hard Target in 1993 which kickstarted a successful Hollywood run including Broken Arrow, Face/Off, and Mission: Impossible 2.
John Woo’s remake of The Killer is slated to hit Peacock next year.
19 Comments
Why is your name Chance?My Momma took one.
No that’s ok I’ll watch the original again, thanks!
Hard Boiled is better, anyway.
100%
Hard Boiled has better action scenes (the warehouse shootout is justifiably considered to be among the greatest action sequences on film) but The Killer is a better film.
Hard Boiled has the teahouse and hospital shootout scenes which are his best so yeah.
The whole thing kind of falls apart without the right lead. Actors with Chow Yun-fat’s charisma and presence are few and far between.
Possibly Henry Golding…maybe.
It’s basically gonna be a cut-and-paste of the actors you’d buy as Bond… off the top of my head, I’d look Dev Patel’s way.
Totally agree. Yes, Woo can direct the shit out of an action set piece – but without that easy charm it could end up just another action movie. It’s not a classic because of the story, or character arcs, it’s one of those lightning in a bottle types that really shouldn’t be remade, even with the original director.
Uhhhh…..no.
He did the same thing back in the 90’s when he remade his movie Once A Thief as a TV series.
I only new this movie from Only Built for Cubin Linx by Raekwon. Both are classics.
During the action scenes will Peacocks fly in slow motion?
The film developed a cult-following —> The film developed a cult followingOnly Built For Cuban Linx… —> Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… the kung-fu picture, The Young Dragons —> the kung fu picture The Young Dragonsshowcasing his distinctive style which featured operatic stories —> showcasing his distinctive style, which featured operatic storiesultraviolet gunfights —> ultraviolent gunfightswith Hard Target in 1993 which kickstarted —> with Hard Target in 1993, which kickstarted
Walter Jill —> Walter Hill
“as an assassin who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer (Sally Yeh) during a job, and agrees to kill a triad boss to pay for the operation [to restore her sight].”
More of a writing context issue than grammar but “the operation” makes no sense as it is currently written.
Wow, what a genuinely terrible idea.
with an American language reimaginingcome the fuck on