Universal has announced that Lupin star Omar Sy will lead John Woo’s reimagining of his 1989 crime classic The Killer, after many years stuck in development. This project is not to be confused with another upcoming action thriller title, also named The Killer, that will be directed by David Fincher and star Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton.

Woo’s original film, which he both wrote and directed, followed a disillusioned assassin (Chow Yun-fat) as he accepts one last hit in hopes of using the money to restore vision to the singer (Sally Yeh) he accidentally blinded. It went on to become a cult favourite and influential work in the action-thriller canon. Details of the Peacock reimagining are still unknown.

Interestingly, Lupita Nyong’o was previously attached to star as the assassin in Woo’s reboot, but the Black Panther and Little Monsters actress exited the project sometime in 2019 due to a scheduling conflict.

The screenplay comes from 10 Cloverfield Lane duo Matthew Stuecken and Josh Campbell, as well as Eran Creevy and Brian Helgeland. 

With eyes on a 2023 release, expect production to kick off sometime soon. As for Omar Sy, he recently reprised the role of Barry Sembène in Jurassic World: Dominion, and will star in the upcoming third season of the French Netflix series Lupin.