Remake of John Woo's THE KILLER Gets Financing

Financing is now locked and loaded for the English-language remake of John Woo's The Killer, to be directed by John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember). Sarah Yan Li will co-star; casting for the lead roles is still up in the air.

The story is set in Los Angeles, so naturally shooting will begin in Toronto later this year. Bruno Wu's Seven Stars Film Studios will provide the financing. The project, long in development, will be produced by Woo and Terence Chang. Josh Campbell wrote the script.

When this latest remake project was first announced in February 2011, it was to be shot in 3D and Jung Woo-Sung was to star in the Chow Yun-Fat role. There's no mention of either in the new release, so it sounds like a bullet was dodged on the 3D angle. .

Here's the official synopsis from the press release:

Set in present day Los Angeles, Jef, a highly skilled contract killer falls in love with the only living witness to his latest job, a female singer (Sarah Yan Li) who was blinded during the hit. Meanwhile, Detective Vaughn, the cop assigned to investigate Jef's hit, has a chance to save his reputation when he correctly, and fatefully, suspects Jef to be the killer, but after witnessing Jef display an act of heroism, Vaughn's perceptions of right and wrong begin to change.

Woo's deal to direct an English-language remake of Seijun Suzuki's Youth of the Beast was just announced yesterday. Again, half the battle on these things is casting, and The Killer presents much bigger shoes to fill the iconic shoes worn by Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee.