Park Chan-wook is having a moment, moving further into the mainstream with cinephiles thanks to the acclaim he’s received for his last three films, not to mention the well-reviewed HBO series “The Sympathizer,” starring Robert Downey Jr.
Last year, Park had mentioned that he really wanted to make “an old Western script” written by S. Craig Zahler, titled “Brigands of Rattlecreek.” ‘Rattlecreek,’ described as an “ultraviolent Western,” has been stuck in development hell for ten years. A few years ago, Amazon acquired the rights to the film and seemed set on having Matthew McConaughey star. Since then? Radio silence. The project was eventually dropped by Amazon.
Now, in some great news, our first major package out of the Cannes market has arrived, and Park’s “Brigands of Rattlecreek” is indeed happening, with McConaughey, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler attached to star. The estimated budget is $60M.
The film centers on a sheriff and a physician who join forces to hunt down a ruthless gang that exploits violent thunderstorms to raid and brutalize a remote town. In doing so, the story taps into Park’s familiar fixations—revenge, moral fallout, and the lingering weight of past trauma—reframed within the stark, unforgiving landscape of the American frontier.
Given Park’s surge in popularity these last few years, not to mention the consistent acclaim, this makes perfect sense. It would be only Park’s second English-language film, following “Stoker.”
However, the big lure here, alongside Park, is Zahler. It’s an absolute dream pairing to have Park take on Zahler’s screenplay, which—given his track record—promises sudden bursts of shocking, often brutal violence. His scripts tend to favor hardboiled dialogue, morally ambiguous characters, and an old-school pulp sensibility. This better be Park’s next film.
Park has enjoyed a remarkably acclaimed run over the last 10 years, but if you ask me, he has yet to surpass the seismic impact of “Oldboy.” Released in 2003, the revenge thriller detonated like a cinematic bomb with the unmatched raw energy of a modern-day classic. That said, his other acclaimed credits aren’t too shabby either, they include “The Handmaiden,” “Decision to Leave,” “No Other Choice,” “Lady Vengeance,” and “Thirst.”
For Schrader, AI solves the curious practical filmmaking problem he had. How about just creating Black people? No casting calls, no agents, no actors turning down the roles.