James Wan, co-creator of the Saw franchise, is to direct a remake of the Korean thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil and Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in the film. UPDATE: Things are moving along nicely for James Wan’s remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. The Hollywood Reporter reports that ... Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in James Wan’s remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil
James Wan, co-creator of the Saw franchise, is to direct a remake of the Korean thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil and Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in the film.
UPDATE: Things are moving along nicely for James Wan’s remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Keanu Reeves is circling a role in the film. Star of the original film, Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, will also star in the remake. It’s looking like he will be reprising his role as crime boss Jang Dong-soo.
Wan also posted the story on his Instagram stories, so it would seem negotiations about Reeves’ involvement are in the home stretch. THR is also reporting that Sylvester Stallone, along with D. Matt Geller, is on board as a producer via Balboa Productions. Wan will also produce alongside Jason Blum and Michael Clear from Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Dong-seok via Big Punch Global and Chris S. Lee from B&C Group. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is also producing.
The final script has been written by Eric Pearson and it is based on previous drafts by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland.
This will be Wan’s first film back in the director’s chair since 2023’s Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom and we’re excited to see how it turns out.
Our original story follows…
11th March 2026: Although he also has two Aquaman films under his belt, director James Wan is better known for his work in the horror genre. He co-created the Saw and Conjuring franchises, and has directed such films as Insidious and its sequel as well as the likeably bizarre Malignant.
Wan’s a good fit, then, for the dark (and at times blackly comic) world of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. A Korean crime thriller released in 2019, it’s now been picked up by for a remake, with Wan set to direct and produce via his company, Atomic Monster.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount – a studio whom Wan has worked with multiple times in the past – will distribute the remake, while the original film’s star, Ma Dong-seok, will also have a major role in the new US version.
Directed by Lee Won-tae, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil has a neat, pulpy hook: a scruffy detective (played by Kim Mu-yeol) and a tough crime boss (Ma Dong-seok) team up to catch a serial killer.
It was well-received at global film festivals, and talk of a remake sprang up almost immediately – at one stage, Sylvester Stallone was going to produce it via his company, Balboa Productions. Presumably, that iteration fell apart at some point.
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James Wan’s version will be written by Shay Hatten, the screenwriter behind some recent John Wick entries (including the spin-off, Ballerina) and Zach Cregger’s upcoming Resident Evil movie.
(Hatten also wrote the script Maximum King, a fictionalised account of Stephen King’s attempt to make his directorial debut with the 1986 horror, Maximum Overdrive, which is well worth tracking down if you can find it.)
More on James Wan’s thriller remake as it comes in.
