Derek Kolstad, who penned the John Wick 3: Parabellum film now due out on 17th May, will next be turning his attention to a remake of Korean thriller The Man From Nowhere.
The original film, released in 2010 and quickly becoming one of the year’s biggest hits – holding the top spot for five weeks – was written and directed by Jeong-beom Lee. It had echoes of the Leon / The Professional set-up with a quiet an unassuming pawnbroker, Cha Tae-sik, played by Won Bin, who reveals a dark and deadly past when he is forced to protect his only friend, a neglected young child, from a organ-trafikking ring who have taken her. It’s mix of brutal violence but strong narrative also saw several film awards, positive international reviews and a limited US theatrical release.
The US remake of The Man from Nowhere would likely transfer all the elements stateside and the choice of Kolstad seems an organic one given his track record. Kolstad is also busy with John Wick television spin-off The Continental. Plans to adapt the source material have been around since the original’s success but appeared to have stalled around 2012 when Dimension Films purchased the rights. New Line now have the rights to both this and another cult Korean hit, the acclaimed zombie-thriller Train to Busan, and look to be moving forward quickly on the concepts.
