It looks like John Woo is bringing his 1989 classic action-thriller The Killer back to life. Woo is set to adapt the Hong Kong-set thriller for Peacock as a part of an exclusive collaboration with the streaming app.
The Killer is one of three original films coming exclusively to Peacock. The other two films are called Shooting Stars and Praise This. The Killer will be an English adaptation of Woo's 1989 Cantonese-language action thriller, which tells the story of an assassin on his last job. During his final job, he accidentally blinds a nightclub singer. He will take on a new mission after this fateful accident, agreeing to assassinate a crime boss, but he will have to evade both the police and a powerful crime syndicate. The original film starred Chow Yun-fat, Sally Yeh, and Danny Lee.
Of the project, Kelly Campbell, President, Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer and International, NBCUniversal said, "We know people join Peacock to watch movies, so we are constantly adding more to serve fans." She continued, “[t]ogether with the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, we are excited to deliver fresh, exclusive, original films next year to our customers in addition to the legendary Universal Pictures blockbuster films and beloved franchises streaming now.”
Lupita Nyong'o was set to star in a gender-swapped adaptation of the film in 2018, however, the project did not make it to fruition. No casting announcements have been made regarding the newest adaptation. However, it is certainly exciting to see Woo return to the project, an early career masterpiece that has made an impact on the action genre. Woo, who began making kung fu films in the 1970s, began his career in America by translating his knowledge of combat, action, and comedy films into American productions. In America, his most successful, and notable, film is the 1997 sci-fi action film Face/Off, which sees John Travolta and Nicolas Cage playing an FBI agent and sociopathic criminal respectively. The film sees the two switch faces and life situations via an extraordinary procedure.
Woo's newest adaptation of The Killer is set to be released exclusively to Peacock in 2023. Until then, you can grab a copy of the 1989 original film to get a glimpse of what is to come. Woo is currently filming another project, titled Silent Night, which features an all-star cast including Kid Cudi and Joel Kinnaman.