By John Nugent | Posted 12 Jul 2016

Director Justin Lin is currently doing the promotional rounds for Star Trek Beyond. But when Empire chatted to him for an upcoming spoiler special podcast, we couldn’t resist asking about another project the filmmaker has bubbling away: a long-mooted adaptation of the acclaimed manga comic Lone Wolf And Cub.

Lin has been attached to the project for some time, and had planned to press ahead with the adaptation, before J.J. Abrams came a-calling. “For the last year and a half I've been on this Star Trek detour,” Lin explained to us, “the greatest detour of my career. But I'm excited because Lone Wolf And Cub is one of many projects that I can't wait to go back and revisit in the next two weeks when we're done with all the press.”

Lin appeared to imply that he plans to have an Asian cast. “Five-to-ten years ago, they would have wanted Keanu Reeves to play the dad... I think the cool thing about it is that filmmaking has gone global. There's many ways to make a movie and I think Hollywood has to evolve.”

First published in 1970 by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf And Cub is widely regarded as a classic manga, telling an epic historic tale of shogun assassins. Seven films adapting the series have already been produced in its native Japan, but nothing from Hollywood – until now.

Lin is convinced that “this is the best time to make a movie like Lone Wolf And Cub – and to be able to really embrace the spirit and the essence of what makes it great.”

Until then, the director has to get Star Trek Beyond out the door – that’s due for a July 22 release – and he has plenty of other projects to keep him occupied, including his rumoured return to the Fast & Furious series that made his name. Plenty to keep him – ahem – Linterested.

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