The idea of an Academy Award winner starring in an action movie directed by John Woo is kinda mind-blowing, especially for longtime fans of the filmmaker's work. Add in a gender switch in the lead role and our intrigue immediately soars.
Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave; Black Panther, above) is in negotiations to star in The Killer, according to Deadline. It's a new version of John Woo's classic Hong Kong action film. If things work out, Nyong'o will star in the lead role as an assassin, which was originally played by Chow Yun-Fat back in 1989, and Woo himself will direct. Universal Studios will release the picture. What else do we need to know?
What made the original film stand out?
The original follows a hired killer who accidentally damages the vision of a singer while carrying out his latest deadly assignment. Filled with regret, he resolves to perform one last job to earn the money to pay for an operation that will restore the singer's sight. But the police are stalking him as well, led by a fearless inspector who is determined to capture him.
Several years previously, Woo made A Better Tomorrow, which was hailed as a new landmark in Hong Kong cinema for its heightened melodrama and extravagant visual style, combined with an endless barrage of bullets and so-called "heroic bloodshed." The Killer also employed this style but to an even greater degree and captured the imagination of viewers around the world, including the U.S.
What films did John Woo make in Hollywood?
Several years later, Woo made his Hollywood debut with the incredibly stylish Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Hard Target (read more about that here), which led to his spectacular breakthrough, Face/Off, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.
He followed that up by directing Mission: Impossible II, Windtalkers and Paycheck, but found it nearly impossible to get funding in Hollywood for the projects he really wanted to make, and so returned to Asia.
Wait, didn't I hear about a remake of The Killer years ago?
In 1992, filmmaker Walter Hill, known for The Warriors and 48 Hrs., wrote a screenplay for an English-language remake. Richard Gere and Denzel Washington were touted as possible stars. Additional drafts were written, but things didn't work out.
In 2007, Korean-American filmmaker John H. Lee was mentioned as developing an English-language remake that would be set in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood. Again, things didn't work out.
What has John Woo been doing lately?
Since his return to Asia, Woo has focused on massive historical epics Red Cliff (more about that film here) and The Crossing, which were both released theatrically in two parts. More recently, he helmed Manhunt, a modern-day action film set in Japan; it will debut on Netflix this coming Friday, May 4.
"After Manhunt," Woo told ScreenDaily in 2015, "I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.”
What will make the new film different?
While the original film stood out for its over-the-top gun violence, aka 'bullet ballet,' the new version will reportedly "blend espionage with extraordinary stunts to capture the feel of the original." That may sound outrageous to fans of the original, but keep in mind that three decades have passed. In 1989, the extreme flourishes of gun fetishism felt dangerous and, frankly, very macho and cool to action-movie devotees.
Popular culture has changed and it's only right that a remake reflect changing worldviews on the topic. Also, switching the gender of the assassin means that instead of a protective male figure who is moved with pity for an innocent female victim, the killer might have a change of heart motivated by genuine empathy for someone who was damaged by her actions.
When might we see The Killer?
The goal is to start production later this year in France and Germany. If all works out as planned, we could see Lupita Nyong'o as The Killer early in 2020.
