John Woo to finally remake The Killer with Lupita Nyong’o in Chow Yun Fat’s role

JoBlo and Deadline report that Universal Pictures has fast tracked the long-in-development remake of John Woo’s cult classic gun-fu thriller The Killer, with iconic director Woo himself at the helm. Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther) is in talks to play the assassin who puts her own life on the line in order to save a woman whom she accidentally blinded on her last hit.

According to Deadline, the remake will “blend espionage with extraordinary stunts to capture the feel of the original.” Production on The Killer is expected to start later this year in France and Germany.

The remake has been in development for decades, with the closest to getting done being ten years ago when John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember) was slated to direct the film in 3D. Jung Woo-sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) was attached to play the assassin, a character immortalized by Chow Yun Fat. However, development progressed slowly and Lee left for other projects.