And the award for the most remakes from a single filmmaker goes to… John Woo. Two A Better Tomorrow remakes, one Once a Thief remake (two, if Ding Sheng is still workin on his) and some Killer remakes that have been in “development hell” since the 90s. And now, we have another one to add to the mix…

Deadline reports that John Woo and Universal Pictures are teaming on a new version of his 1989 Hong King crime classic The Killer. It is intended as a star vehicle for Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther, 12 Years a Slave). She is negotiating to play the assassin, a role originated by Chow Yun-fat. The studio has the film on a fast track, with Woo directing. The aim is to begin production later this year in France and Germany.

There’s also another remake brewing. At Filmart 2018, Er Dong Cultural Group – the film company behind Operation Red Sea – announced their own Killer remake on their to-do list. Unfortunately, details are currently thin on this one. Not even a director or star is attached, but it will be a Chinese-language production (via THR).

The idea of remaking The Killer (in any language) is nothing new. Back in 1992, director Walter Hill (48 Hrs) wrote a screenplay to a Hollywood version of The Killer. It was set to star Richard Gere and Denzel Washington. John Travolta, who previously collaborated with Woo on Broken Arrow and Face/Off, was “entertaining the possibility” of starring in the remake as well. Due to scripting problems revolving around the main characters, the project was never realized.

Then in 2012, news started to circulate that The Killer would be remade in 3D by Korean filmmaker John H. Lee (The Cut Runs Deep) with Jung Woo-sun (The Good, the Bad, the Weird) attached as one of the leads. Obviously, development for this one hit a dead end as well.

We’ve now come full circle from 2015 when Woo told SD that he was aiming to direct an English-language remake himself: “I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood, so after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.” Well, there you have it.

We’ll keep you updated on The Killer (any of ’em) as more news arrives. Stay tuned!