If there is one movie Chinese director John Woo is better remembered for from his early days in the 1980s and 1990s Hong Kong action flicks era, this is The Killer (1989). The veteran director also signed other cult classics like Hard Boiled (1992), Killer Target (aka Once a Thief) (1991), Bullet in the Head (1990) or the A Better Tomorrow trilogy (1986-1987-1989). But the best remembered one, the one that launched Woo and his movie star Chow Yun Fat to an international stardom, that was without a shadow of a doubt The Killer (1989).
There have been years of rumors about the movie’s remake in Hollywood. And it’s now when Universal Pictures and John Woo are teaming on to make this remake happen. Deadline reported in exclusive that Woo will direct, as it was expected. Eran Creevy, writer and director of Collide (2016), has rewritten an original draft by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, the tandem that wrote the fantastic 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016).
The original The Killer (1989) followed professional hitman Ah Jong, played by Chow Yun Fat, trying to make amends and pay for a cornea transplant to restore the sight of a beautiful young singer Jennie who is blinded in a shootout during one of his jobs. Ah Jong is wracked with guilt and begins to follow Jennie and look out for her. She is unaware of his true identity and they become good friends. In order to pay for the operation, Ah Jong takes on one last high-risk hit. When he is double-crossed by the gang boss who hired him, he finds himself being hunted by a triad hit squad and forms an unlikely alliance with police detective who has been on his trail, a man who can see that despite what he does for a living, Ah Jong is a man of principle and morals, willing to put his life on the line to do the right thing and redeem himself.
In the remake, the main character will be played by Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for 12 Years a Slave (2013) and who has been recently playing Maz Kanata in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017). The plot will follow the trails of the original film, with Nyong’o’s assassin character taking high risks to save a woman whom she accidentally blinded in the committing of her last job.
After making the jump to Hollywood in the 1990s, director John Woo signed a good bunch of action titles of more or less interest, being the first 3 ones Hard Target (1993), Broken Arrow (1996) and Face/Off (1997) the most outstanding ones. In the last decade, he returned to China where he has been in charge of several productions including the historical dramas The Crossing parts 1 and 2 (2015) and action thriller Manhunt (2017).
The plans are to begin filming The Killer this year in Germany and France, so the movie won’t be expected to be wrapped up until late 2019. If you haven’t seen yet the original The Killer (1989), mentioned by A-class directors like Quentin Tarantino as one of the best Hong Kong action flicks ever done, don’t miss to check out the trailer here:
