A few years ago, it was announced that John Woo would remake his best film, the 1989 action classic “The Killer.” It couldn’t be. Why would Woo want to mess with perfection? The film then began production last year in Paris …
The French remake, starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy, now has first look images and a release date. They’re sending this one straight to streaming, on Peacock, starting August 23.
We’re not really sure how close to the original this one will be, but the 1989 film follows an assassin who takes on one more assignment to help pay for the surgery of a singer he accidentally blinded. The remake is being scripted by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland (“L.A. Confidential,” “Mystic River”)
Last year, Woo released his mixed-reviewed “Silent Night” an action-driven story shot with no dialogue and only told visually with music accompanying the drama. It wasn’t necessarily the action comeback Woo fans were looking for, but there were some shades of his former self in the film.
Woo was once upon a time one of the best and most successful action directors out there, he made a name for himself with Hong Kong classics such as “The Killer,” “Hard Boiled” and “A Better Tomorrow.” Then Hollywood came calling in the early ‘90s and the results were very mixed, his best one was 1997’s “Face/Off,” but he also had plenty of duds including “Mission: Impossible II” “Windtalkers,” and “Paycheck.”
Woo has been mostly dabbling in Asian cinema these last twenty years, he’s only released three films over that time frame, including 2008’s well-received “Red Cliff.” It looks like he’s back to making films away from home, but will it come with success?