Omar Sy And Nathalie Emmanuel To Lead John Woo's Reimagining Of His Classic Film The Killer
A lot has happened since May of last year, so you'd be forgiven for letting it slip from your mind that director John Woo's classic 1989 action film "The Killer" is due for its own straight-to-streaming remake ... and it's also being directed by, you guessed it, John Woo. The unexpected news was first covered by /Film here (by this very writer, in fact!) and, honestly, we're still not entirely sure what to make of it. But it's definitely happening and today we've received our most significant update on the project yet.
Deadline was the first to report that the "reimagining" of the original action film, which follows an assassin (played by Chow Yun-Fat) who inadvertently blinds an innocent bystander during a shootout and sets off on one last contract gig to get the money to pay for her eyesight-saving surgery, has found its two main leads. Omar Sy, who most recently appeared in "Jurassic World Dominion" and also stars in Netflix's slick French crime caper series "Lupin," will take on the leading role. Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" and "Fast & Furious" veteran Nathalie Emmanuel has also been cast in an undisclosed role opposite Sy.
With Woo once again in the director's chair, the script for this new take on "The Killer" comes from the writing duo of Matthew Stuecken and Josh Campbell, with additional credits held by Eran Creevy and Brian Helgeland. Read on for all the details!
Omar Sy and Nathalie Emmanuel join a Killer remake
John Woo's original "The Killer" was led by the all-star trio of Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, and Sally Yeh, all of whom were on the exact same wavelength of the director behind films like 1992's "Hard Boiled," the shamelessly campy John Travolta- and Nicolas Cage-starring "Face/Off," and the very distinct (for better and worse) "Mission: Impossible II." It'll be hard to top the uniquely of-its-time feel of the 1989 action classic, even for Woo, but gosh darn it he's certainly going to try anyway.
Deadline reports that no details on the exact plot or the characters played by Omar Sy and Nathalie Emmanuel have yet been revealed, but it's fair to expect a loose adaptation of the original's premise. The film was announced as one of three Peacock originals produced by Universal Pictures as the streaming service looks to beef up its slate of original offerings. Peacock enjoyed a groundswell of critical acclaim and ratings attention for debuting Rian Johnson's "Poker Face" series (not a whodunnit, as we witnessed who committed each crime, but a "howcatchem"), which is already confirmed for a second season in the years ahead. Most recently, the streamer also released a new look at "Mrs. Davis," a buzzy new series from co-creator Damon Lindelof.
"The Killer" remake is due to premiere on Peacock sometime this year, so stay tuned to /Film for any and all updates as they come in.