It’s been three years since John Woo’s last film, the sweeping historical epic “Red Cliff,” and after various flirtations, it looks he’s found his next project.
Deadline, among other publications, are reporting from Cannes that the legendary Hong Kong filmmaker has signed on to direct and co-produce an English-language remake of Seijun Suzuki’s 1963 yakuza opus, “Youth Of The Beast,” along with the famed Japanese studio Nikkatsu Corporation. The announcement comes as Nikkatsu, Japan’s oldest major movie studio, celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Woo, in a statement said “This remake is my salute to the great films and filmmakers produced by Nikkatsu’s 100 years in cinema history. It is exciting for me as well as an honor.” The remake, titled “Day Of The Beast,” will be written by Rob Frisbee and will mark Woo’s first English-language feature film in nearly a decade. His last English film was 2003’s much-maligned “Paycheck,” but he won back fans with “Red Cliff,” which, despite being shown around the world in two parts, was dumped in a truncated single version on on-demand in 2009.
“Red Cliff” made our 2009 list of underappreciated films, and should definitely be sought out. Hopefully, “Day Of The Beast” will show more of the talent that Woo is undoubtedly capable of. Watch the trailer for “Red Cliff” below.
