James Wan Directs Gangster Cop Devil Remake with Keanu Reeves

James Wan will direct and produce a Paramount Pictures remake of the 2019 Korean action-thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in the film, which marks Wan's first feature directing project since 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Wan will produce the project via Blumhouse Atomic Monster alongside Michael Clear and Jason Blum. The producing team is extensive, blending talent from the original film with Hollywood heavyweights. Don Lee, who starred in the original Korean version, is attached to reprise his role and will produce through his company Big Punch Global. Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller are producing via Balboa Productions. Additional producers include Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Chris S. Lee via B&C Group, and Jang Won-seok of BA Entertainment. Billy Acumen is attached as an executive producer.

Star power in flux with Reeves in talks

Keanu Reeves is currently in negotiations to take a leading role. The action icon, known for The Matrix and John Wick franchises, would join a cast that already includes Don Lee returning as crime boss Jang Dong-soo. Reeves was most recently seen in the Apple TV+ dramedy Outcome and continues to voice characters in major franchises. He will reprise his voice role as Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, scheduled for March 19, 2027, and will star in the Ruben Östlund film The Entertainment System Is Down for A24. He is also set to lead the Warner Bros. sci-fi film Shiver, slated for release next August.

Original film context and development timeline

The remake is based on the well-received 2019 Korean film written and directed by Lee Won-tae. That film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival's Midnight Screening section. Its plot follows a scruffy detective and a powerful gangster who form an uneasy alliance to track down a serial killer. The story is loosely inspired by real-life South Korean serial killer cases from the mid-2000s. Paramount's reimagining has been in development since the original's release, with James Wan officially boarding the project in the spring of 2024.

Script and production details

Eric Pearson wrote the latest draft of the screenplay. His work is based on earlier versions penned by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland. The film is a co-production between several entities, as detailed in the table below.

Director James Wan indicated that development is progressing. James Wan said: "Things are moving along nicely for James Wan’s remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil."