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'The Killer': John Woo remake at Peacock targets 'Jurassic World' star Omar Sy
The director of Face/Off returns!
Time for some killer casting news. According to a new report from Deadline, John Woo's Peacock reimagining of The Killer (a movie he wrote and directed in 1989) has officially cast Lupin and Jurassic World star, Omar Sy. It's unclear at this time who he'll be specifically playing, though the report notes Sy "will lead" the film.
The actor confirmed the news on his Instagram page Thursday, writing: "New challenge…and what a challenge, but so grateful to get the opportunity!" Details on the remake are pretty thin at the moment, but if it follows the narrative beats of the original — which starred Chow Yun-Fat — it sounds like we're in for one heck of a thrill ride centered around a veteran assassin who takes on one last job to save a beloved family member.
"We know people join Peacock to watch movies, so we are constantly adding more to serve fans,” Kelly Campbell, President, Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer and International, NBCUniversal, said in May when the project was first announced. "Together with the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, we are excited to deliver fresh, exclusive, original films next year to our customers in addition to the legendary Universal Pictures blockbuster films and beloved franchises streaming now."
Famous in both China and the United States, Woo is known for a slew of classic action titles like Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, and Mission: Impossible 2. Speaking with Deadline last month, the filmmaker discussed his decision to revive The Killer, admitting that the initial plan was to hire a different director.
"But [we] couldn’t find anyone, so I took on the job," he said. "We maybe shouldn’t call this The Killer, because we’re making a very different version, as the lead character will be played by a woman. We’re doing the casting now. We were talking to Lupita Nyong’o but she had to pass so we’re looking for somebody else. The story is similar to The Killer, but we can say it’s more of a story about friendship than a love story."
Woo made his U.S. return earlier this year with Silent Night, an action vehicle starring Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad) as a determined father seeking revenge for the death of his son. The title not only refers to the fact that the entire movie takes place on Christmas Eve, it's also a clever nod to the fact that there is no spoken dialogue throughout.
"When I got the script for Silent Night from Thunder Road, I thought it was very unique and just loved it," the director told Deadline. "What attracted me is that the script doesn’t have any dialogue — the whole movie is totally visual, you’re using visual images, sound and music to tell the story — so for me that’s something pretty new. If I’d stayed in China, I would probably still be making the same old things, another war movie or action movie, so even though this film has a pretty small budget and a tight schedule, that was fine with me. I also got to work with a wonderful actor in Joel Kinnaman."
Suddenly in the mood for some edge-of-your-seat action adventure films? Head on over to Peacock and stream away!
