Back in 2012, Justin Lin (Fast & Furious) was attached to direct a new big-screen version of Lone Wolf and Cub, an iconic Japanese manga about an honorable executioner whose family, except for his newborn son, is killed. The executioner is falsely accused of being a traitor and becomes an assassin, while caring for his infant son and seeking justice.

First published in 1970, the manga became immensely popular in Japan. It's an epic story, told over 28 volumes by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, and it eventually inspired six movies, four plays and a television series. The Japanese-language movies were made in quick succession from 1972 to 1974, receiving limited distribution in the U.S. (See poster above for Lightning Swords of Death, the third installment, also known as Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades.)

Their widest exposure in the U.S. probably came in 1980's Shogun Assassin, which was a much simplified, English-dubbed version of the first two installments of the series.

Director Darren Aronofsky expressed an interest in making a Lone Wolf and Cub movie as early as 2003, but in 2009 he noted that "the rights from Japan were never cleared."

As noted above, the project came alive in 2012. Lin was attached as director and writers David and Janet Peoples (Twelve Monkeys) were hired to write the screenplay. Since then, however, we haven't heard much, if anything, about it.

Now comes word via Variety that producer Steven Paul (Ghost in the Shell) has acquired rights to Lone Wolf and Cub: Final Conflict, a Japanese-language reboot released in 1993 that drew from the manga but reportedly changed the lead character and other elements dramatically.

Through his company, SP International Pictures, producer Paul plans to make a live-action, English-language remake, with production aiming to start next year. Even though the movie will be shot in English, Paul says that it will feature an "essentially Japanese cast."

Obviously, things are at an early stage and we wonder if the idea of a child involved in (or even present for) violent battles will survive into the new edition. Still, the Lone Wolf and Cub series features a terrific story that could serve as the basis for one or more terrific films, so we'll keep an eye out for more news on the project.