A crime boss and the detective chasing him agree to hunt the same serial killer, each for his own reasons. That is the setup Keanu Reeves is in talks to step into: an English-language remake of the 2019 Korean thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, directed by James Wan for Paramount.
Deadline and Variety both reported the negotiations on Tuesday. Neither names the part Reeves would take, and his casting is not confirmed. Ma Dong-seok, who starred in the original, is attached to play his role again.
Ma Dong-seok Played the Gangster in 2019
In The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, Ma Dong-seok’s crime boss and a detective played by Kim Mu-yeol reluctantly team up to find a serial killer, played by Kim Sung-kyu. Each man has his own motive, and the double-crosses run in both directions.
Eric Pearson Wrote the Current Draft
Eric Pearson wrote the script Paramount is working from, after earlier drafts by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland, who is also an executive producer. Wan and Michael Clear produce through Blumhouse Atomic Monster, with Ma Dong-seok producing through Big Punch Global. Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller are on it for Balboa Productions, alongside Chris Lee, Jang Won-seok and Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
Reeves and Wan Both Have Genre Mileage
Reeves played John Constantine in 2005, was Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and spent The Devil’s Advocate working at Al Pacino’s law firm. Wan directed Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring and Malignant; the two Aquaman pictures came after.
Paramount has not set a release date.