John Woo’s The Killer, reloaded: four reasons to get excited about Hollywood remake, with Lupita Nyong’o in talks to star
Hong Kong director is set to revisit his ‘bullet ballet’ masterpiece from 1989, but with an actress in the lead role that went to Chow Yun-fat in the original film. Here’s why we think it’ll work
Did anyone see this coming? While there had been whispers about an American remake of The Killer for several years by now, it was never quite conceivable that Hong Kong director John Woo could revisit one of his most beloved “heroic bloodshed” masterpieces without looking like a sell-out.
But it looks as if the legendary action filmmaker, who turned 72 this week, has found the key to unlock the puzzle.
Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo on the making of Manhunt, Hong Kong and Chinese cinema, and budget versus action movies
As reported by various trade papers, Woo is teaming up with Universal Pictures to produce an American version of his classic crime thriller from 1989. The Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is in negotiations to play the titular assassin – portrayed indelibly in the original by Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat – in the remake, which will again be directed by Woo.
Here are four reasons film lovers should get excited by this somewhat surprising project.
1. He may be over 70, but Woo has only just developed an appetite for portraying female assassins