Universal has announced that Lupin star Omar Sy will star in the lead role of Peacock’s The Killer, a re-imagining of the 1989 John Woo film from Woo himself.
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The legendary action director will return to “re-imagine” his own classic film, with a screenplay written by writing partners Matthew Stuecken and Josh Campbell (10 Cloverfield Lane), as well as Eran Creevy (Welcome to the Punch, Collide) and Brian Helgeland (42, Legend).
Production on the film will be overseen by Universal Pictures’ Senior Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott, as well as Creative Development Executive Jacqueline Garell. Currently, it’s unclear exactly when the film is set to release, but Universal is targeting a broad 2023 release window for the film. The Killer re-imagining is one of three films that Woo is set to direct as part of a series of three Universal original films that the studio is set to deliver. Woo will also act as producer on the film.
The original The Killer was not an immediate hit when it was released in Hong Kong in 1989, but was massively praised in the West for its action scenes and general over-the-top style. The film acted as one of the catalysts to Woo exploding onto the Hollywood scene.
The film tells the story of Ah Jong, an assassin who accidentally injures the eyes of a singer and decides to perform one last hit in an effort to collect money for an operation that will keep the girl from going blind.
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For Sy, this marks yet another big role. The French actor has been starring in films since 2000 but broke out into mainstream fame for his work on the Netflix series Lupin. Recently, Sy starred in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, as well as the French action comedy film The Takedown.