James Wan (Saw, Furious 7) is set to direct Paramount Pictures’ U.S. remake of the 2019 South Korean crime thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (read our review), with original star Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee (Derailed, Unstoppable), reprising his role.
The original film centered around a crime boss Jang Dong-su (Lee), who – after having barely surviving an attack by an elusive serial killer – finds himself forming an unlikely partnership with local detective Jung Tae-seok (Kim Moo Yul, Illang: The Wolf Brigade) to catch a sadistic killer.
Lee, whose acting credits also include Disney/Marvel’s Eternals and Korean blockbusters Train to Busan and The Roundup, is also producing under his U.S banner Gorilla 8 Productions; and alongside Chris S. Lee, CEO of B&C Content; Billy Acumen, CEO of BA Entertainment; and Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood under their production banner, Balboa Productions (via Deadline).
Footnote: An English language remake of a foreign film starring the same lead actor, reprising the same character? Off the top of our head, this hasn’t happened since 2001’s Vanilla Sky, which was a remake of the 1997 Spanish film Abre los ojos (aka Open Your Eyes). The original film featured Penélope Cruz, who also starred in the same role in the U.S. remake.
We’ll keep you updated as more news arrives. Until then, check out the Trailer for the 2019 original below:
Another useless remake. Next!