I think I would prefer to see a film made that pays homage to THE KILLER rather than a remake at this stage but I am willing to be convinced!
Yes, John Woo's classic THE KILLER is being remade and this time in stereoscopic 3D! John Woo is producing so that mitigates my initial thoughts.
If you have not seen the original, I encourage you to check it out. In fact, I recommend it. Chow Yun-Fat stars and aces his role completely. The movie spawned impressive influence over future action movies and pushed the boundaries of 'artistic action'.
Here is the official press release (emphasis is mine): Los Angeles, 31 January 2011: Essential Entertainment has joined Lion Rock Productions in its remake of THE KILLER in 3D, currently in pre-production, which will be directed by John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember, Saying Good-bye One day) and written by Josh Campbell. Jung Woo-Sung (Reign of Assassins, The Good, The Bad, The Weird) will star in this English language re-telling of John Woo’s iconic action masterpiece, with additional cast to be announced shortly. The film will be produced by Woo (Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II) and Terence Chang under their Lion Rock Productions banner. Essential Entertainment will be handling worldwide sales.
Producer John Woo said: “While all my films are special to me, THE KILLER is truly one of my favorites. We are thrilled to reinvent it as an English-language film and know it’s in capable hands by the incredible visual style and tender emotion John H. Lee brings to all his films.”
John Fremes, President of Worldwide Distribution at Essential Entertainment said: “John Woo’s THE KILLER is one of the most influential and classic action films of all-time. The 3D version will no doubt appeal to fans of the original as well as capture a new generation of enthusiasts.”
Set in present day, an elite Asian assassin risks everything to protect a beautiful singer that he unintentionally blinded, but can only do so with the help of an LAPD detective who is trying to catch him.
THE KILLER in 3D was brought into Essential Entertainment by attorney Howard Frumes from Alexander, Nau, Lawrence, Frumes, & Labowitz, LLP.
Lion Rock Productions has also independently produced, in addition to its numerous studio films, RED CLIFF, the highest grossing film in China at the time of its release, as well as the upcoming martial arts swordplay drama REIGN OF ASSASSINS, released by The Weinstein Company.
In addition to THE KILLER in 3D, Essential Entertainment is handling the international sales on Barney’s Version, The Expatriate, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, The Music Never Stopped, and Red Dog, which will have its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival— screening in competition as part of Generation 14plus.
Jung Woo-Sung will have the daunting challenge of filling Yun-Fat's boots for this reshoe shoes for this reboot - hoping for the best!
Jim here. Got a huge announcement for all you Phish fans out there (and I know there is a lot of them!): PHISH 3D will be hitting the S3D screens April 30 for a one week run with a limited preview of the concert movie in nine US cities on April 20.
Check out the movie's trailer below!
I found out about the movie during ShoWest and was pleasantly surprised when I saw what band was headlining. I took a photo of their poster but it was not official yet so they asked me to hold off for awhile. But now it is all out there!
From their press release: The more than two hour movie, presented by Action 3D Productions in association with Network LIVE and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., highlights Phish’s Festival 8, a three-day, eight-set, 16-hour concert in the Southern California desert.
In advance of the nationwide roll-out, exclusive preview screenings will be shown in nine cities - Boston; Burlington, VT; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Raleigh/Durham, NC; and Washington, D.C.-- on April 20th. In addition to experiencing this special screening, fans in attendance will take home a Phish 3D movie poster. The fully immersive music and visual experience, featuring state-of-the-art 3D technology, gives viewers the sense that they are not only at the event, but on stage with the band that Entertainment Weekly has called “the biggest cult band in America.” Phish 3D features fan favorites, never before seen cover songs, and intimate footage of the band backstage and in rehearsals.
Filmed in October 2009 at the band’s Festival 8, more than 40,000 devoted fans watched as Phish combined two of their most beloved traditions — the multi-day festival and the Halloween album “costume.” The band’s highly anticipated "musical costumes" are concerts involving the performance of an entire album by another artist—in this case, Phish covered the Rolling Stones’ album Exile on Main St. Phish 3D also features songs from the band’s first ever full-length acoustic set, as well as performances taken from the six additional sets.
Tickets for the Tuesday, April 20th screenings will be available for purchase on Friday, March 26 (individual theater on-sale dates may be subject to change). Ticketing information is available at www.phish3dmovie.com or with the following theaters:
-Boston National Amusements 565 Squire Rd (781) 284-5700 Movietickets.com -Burlington Majestic 10 190 Boxwood St (802) 878-2010 Movietickets.com -Chicago Rosemont Theatre 9701 Bryn Mawr Ave (847) 447-1040 Movietickets.com -Denver Movie Tavern 10 18605 East Hampden Ave (303) 680-9913 Movietickets.com -Houston Studio Movie Grill 805 Town & Country Way (469) 693-3456 Movietickets.com -Los Angeles Rave Motion Pictures 18 The Promenade (310) 568-9950 Movietickets.com -New York Pavilion Theatre 188 Prospect Park West (718) 369-0836 Movietickets.com -Raleigh Wynnsong 15 1807 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy (919) 489-9505 Fandango.com -Washington Fairfax Corner 14 11900 Palace Way (703) 378-6550 Movietickets.com
Ticketing information for the Friday, April 30th opening of Phish 3D will be made available at www.phish3dmovie.com. Fans are encouraged to check the site for ticketing and event news frequently, as there a very limited number of seats available for this one week run.
Phish will kick off an extensive summer tour on June 11th at Toyota Park in Chicago, IL. An online ticket request period is currently underway at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/ and will end on Friday, March 26th, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, April 2nd. For full details, visit phish.com
About Phish: Since forming in Vermont in 1983, Phish has developed a large following dedicated to their legendary live shows of eclectic, free-form rock, jazz, country, bluegrass and pop. The band has sold more than 8 million albums and DVDs in the United States, including fourteen studio albums and a multitude of live shows. The ceaseless touring of guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell helped make them one of the top concert draws in the nation until their indefinite hiatus in the summer of 2004. Phish officially reunited in March 2009 and later released their fourteenth album, Joy, with producer Steve Lillywhite. Phish headlined the Bonnaroo Festival in June 2009 and performed a 4-night New Year's Eve run at Miami's American Airlines Arena. For more information, visit www.phish.com.
About Action 3D: Action 3D Productions—A3D—is a privately held production company with a unique approach to capturing live alternative content events (music, sports, and theater) in digital 3D. While technology is key to the process, people are the main ingredients to creating immersive experiences for presentation in cinemas and location-based entertainment venues. A3D's biggest asset is its know-how. The company’s management team has decades of worldwide experience in entertainment presentation, business management and film production. While this team's individual accomplishments are impressive, the complementary backgrounds and skills have enabled A3D to quickly advance in creating, developing and marketing sought-after 3D entertainment for the rapidly developing suite of 3D distribution channels.
About Cinedigm: Cinedigm is the leader in providing the services, experience, technology and content critical to transforming movie theaters into digital and networked entertainment centers. The Company is a technology and services integrator that works with Hollywood movie studios, independent movie distributors, and exhibitors to bring movies in digital cinema format to audiences across the country. Cinedigm’s digital cinema deployment organization, software, unique combined satellite and hard drive digital movie delivery network; pre-show in-theater advertising services; and distribution platform for alternative content such as CineLive® 3-D and 2-D sports and concerts, thematic programming and independent movies provide a complete suite of services required to enable the digital theater conversion. Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. ™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. www.cinedigm.com [CIDM-G]
About AEG Network LIVE: Network LIVE is the industry’s largest provider of live digital entertainment, offering fans unparalleled access to the artists they want—when and how they want it—via broadband, TV, radio, wireless, theatrical and retail. AEG Network LIVE has completed successful tour and album launch campaigns for AEG Live clients including Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Prince, Linkin Park, Garth Brooks, and many others. More information on AEG Network Live can be found at http://www.networklive.com.
I think I would prefer to see a film made that pays homage to THE KILLER rather than a remake at this stage but I am willing to be convinced!
