The South Korean film THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, which was written and directed by Lee Won-tae, hasn't even been released in its home country yet, that won't happen until later this month, but there's already a deal in place for a Hollywood remake.
The remake is in the hands of Balboa Productions, Sylvester Stallone's production company. Stallone will be producing the English-language version of the story with Balboa Productions co-founder Braden Aftergood, as well as Jang Won-seok, CEO of BA Entertainment, the production company behind the South Korean film, and the film's star Ma Dong-seok.
Genre fans might know Dong-seok (a.k.a. Don Lee) from his breakout role in TRAIN TO BUSAN. In THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, he plays
a gangster who survives a lethal attack by a serial killer. He forms an unlikely partnership with a cop (Lee Mu-yeol) to help track down the murderer (Kim Seong-gyu).
He is attached to reprise the role in the Stallone-produced remake.
The South Korean version of THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL will be screening at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, and will be released in South Korea on May 15th. Distribution has been secured in more than 100 other territories.
I'm definitely interested in watching a movie about Ma Dong-seok tracking down a serial killer, and since he'll be starring in the remake as well we're going to have the chance to watch him do it twice.