James Wan hasn't directed a film in three years, but that's about to change, as he has decided on his next project. It was previously reported that Wan was attached to helm a remake of the Korean film "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” for Paramount.
There had been some delays, but a new listing on Production Weekly now has the film starting production this April in L.A.
Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok and one of the stars of the original movie, is attached to star in Wan's version. Zemeckis regular Don Burgess is the DP. Shay Hatten, whose last credit was Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil," wrote the screenplay.
Wan will also produce through his production company, Atomic Monster, which merged with Jason Blum's Blumhouse in 2024 and has produced a string of genre hits, including, more recently, "Backrooms.” Sylvester Stallone's Balboa Productions, which first acquired the U.S. remake rights in 2019, is also producing.
I first saw 'Gangster, Cop, Devil' at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it played as a Midnight screening. It was fine: fun action, if sort of convoluted, and not a story I imagined Hollywood would want to remake. That's actually a good thing. It means Wan's film could improve upon the original, which rarely happens with remakes.
The movie follows a police detective and a notorious crime lord who are forced to join forces in pursuit of a serial murderer. Each, driven by his own agenda, navigates numerous betrayals and mind games, all while clashes erupt between law enforcement, criminal factions, and rival gangs.
Wan's directorial credits include "Insidious," "The Conjuring," and "Malignant," and he hasn't directed a film since 2023's "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." These days, he has mostly been producing, including instalments in the 'Insidious,' 'M3GAN,' and 'Conjuring' franchises.
Full disclosure: I had never heard of "Cyberpunk 2077" before today. Not once. That said, judging by how fast this announcement has gone viral, I'm clearly in the minority.