News

“Manhunt”, which is a remake of the Japanese action classic from 1976 of the same name directed by Jun’ya Satô and the adaptation of the novel written by Jukô Nishimura, is the new film directed by the acclaimed action master John Woo, and stars Zhang Hanyu, Masaharu Fukuyama, Jun Kunimura, Tao Okamoto, Ha ji-won, Qi Wei and Angeles Woo among others.

“Manhunt” is the maestro’s return to his definitive style: the gun-fu, the heroic bloodshed. The master hasn’t directed a film of this style since “Mission Impossible 2”, and if you exclude that cool Hollywood mess, it is since “Hard Boiled” that he hasn´t made a Hong Kong action film. Fans of the director and of Hong Kong action cinema have been waiting for years for this moment to come, and it’s finally here.

It is impossible not to have expectations with a new film directed by John Woo,...

I haven't seen a movie this instantly straight-to-vhs since VHS died. No, seriously. I don't even know what this movie is. John Woo's latest movie, titled Manhunt, just premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It is technically a remake of a Japanese film titled Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (1976), which is based on a book by Jukô Nishimura. The first odd thing about it is that the movie is really a Japanese movie made by a Chinese director, starring one Chinese man on the run in Japan. It's set mostly around the city of Osaka. The other odd thing about Manhunt is that it seems like John Woo is parodying John Woo, making an old school John Woo movie that seems to be making fun of John Woo, but it's still a John Woo movie. So, yeah. Manhunt takes Chinese director John Woo back to his action...

Based on the novel “Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare” (translated as “Hot Pursuit”) by Juko Nishimura, the original film was screened on 1978, with Ken Takakura in the leading role, and became a massive hit as the first foreign film to be shown in post-Cultural Revolution China.

Japanese actor and singer Masaharu Fukuyama (Midsummer’s Equation, Like Father, Like Son, Suspect X) , China’s award-winning actor Zhang Hanyu (Assembly, The Taking of the Tiger Mountain) and actress Stephy Qi Wei (Coming Back, Broadcasting Girl) will lead the cast of John Woo’s upcoming film, that is set to screen in 2017.

The film, sees a prosecutor (Zhang) framed for robbery, rape and multiple murders set out to clear his name, while Fukuyama will play a detective chasing him.

The action-thriller is backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia and will be produced on a budget of some $30 million. Shooting will largely take place in Osaka,...

Exclusive: Chinese star Zhang Hanyu and Japan’s Masaharu Fukuyama have been confirmed as the first leading cast for John Woo’s upcoming action thriller Manhunt.

Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.

It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.

Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.

Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...

Exclusive: Chinese star Zhang Hanyu and Japan’s Masaharu Fukuyama have been confirmed as the first leading cast for John Woo’s upcoming action thriller Manhunt.

Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.

It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.

Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.

Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...

Exclusive: Hong Kong outfit also introduces Jia Zhangke martial arts project to buyers.

Hong Kong’s Media Asia Films is launching sales on two high-profile action titles at the Efm – Gordon Chan’s God Of War [pictured] and the first martial arts project from Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke.

Jia’s as-yet-untitled project has Johnnie To on board as producer. Set at the end of the Qing Dynasty, it explores the turbulence amongst scholars, bandits and local officials following the abolition of the imperial examination system.

“The script touches on social and geopolitical issues, as Jia Zhangke’s films usually do, but he’s also a huge fan of Hong Kong-style action so this will be a martial arts genre title,” said Media Asia general manager and head of sales and international co-productions Fred Tsui.

Backed by Media Asia Films, the project is expected to start shooting in the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, [link...

John Woo’s first film(s) in several years, The Crossing, failed to make much of any impact when either part hit China between December of last year and this past July. Whether or not the non-existent international notices have played some role in his latest career decisions, it could nevertheless be said that they recall the artist international audiences came to love decades ago – and rather explicitly, in one (potential) case. According to Screen Daily, his next outing, Manhunt, “should recall the hard-boiled action of the director’s earlier years” by adapting Juko Nishimura‘s novel about a cop attempting to prove himself innocent of the rape and murder others have accused him of.

That project was announced in March, so perhaps it’s old news to the Woo faithful. The prospect of it, supposing he’s still up to snuff, remains as appealing as ever. What’s been...

For some time, almost a decade in fact, there's been talk of a remake of John Woo's 1989 assassin-themed action classic "The Killer". Korean-American Director John H. Lee had been linked to a previous version of the remake with Jung Woo-sung taking on the lead role.

Now though, while attending the Tokyo International Film Festival, Woo revealed to Screen Daily that "The Killer" remake will be his next project once he finishes up "Manhunt," an adaptation of the Japanese novel "Kimi Yo Fundo No Kawa No Watare" by Juko Nishimura.

"I have never left [Hollywood]. I still enjoy working with Hollywood. I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood. So after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I'm going to make The Killer in an American version."

Woo added that the story was completely different when Lee was onboard the project.

Though any early signs of progress appeared to be snuffed out, celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo still has one eye set on remaking his classic 1989 assassin film The Killer.

That’s according to the man himself, who recently revealed that he’s positioned “an American version” of the hardboiled actioner as his next project following the release of the Japan-set adaptation Manhunt. Per Screen Daily, Woo revealed that:

“I have never left [Hollywood]. I still enjoy working with Hollywood. I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood. So after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.”

Long before the modern retelling was left languishing in development, South Korean director John H. Lee was in line to helm the remake, though soon moved on when there was no tangible sign of progress.

One project that has been kicked around for years has been remake of John Woo's "The Killer," produced by the filmmaker himself. South Korean helmer John H. Lee was once attached to direct but has since moved on, while John Travolta tossed his name in the ring to reteam with his "Face/Off" and "Broken Arrow" director on a redo. But not much has been heard about the movie in years, but Woo reveals he still has it on his plate. Following this two-part epic "The Crossing," the director is gearing up to helm the Japan-set "Manhunt," which is based on the novel by Juko Nishimura, and was already made into a film in 1976. And according to Woo, "The Killer" will follow. "... after 'Manhunt,' I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make 'The Killer' in an American version,...

Hong Kong-based John Woo is one of the few directors from Asia to effectively generate multiple Hollywood studio hits, from "Face-Off" and "Broken Arrow" to "Mission: Impossible II." But lately he's been financing and releasing his films in Asia; the spectacular  2008 historic epic "Red Cliff" was released stateside. He also went historical with the two-part 1949 disaster drama "The Crossing" series, which opened in Taiwan, Singapore and China. Read More: How John Woo shot Spectacular Epic 'Red Cliff' Now the famed action director is returning to his roots, he told Screen at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where he is getting the Samurai Award. First up is a remake of the 1976 Takakura Ken thriller "Manhunt" in Japan later this year; Woo has always wanted to make a film in Japan. It's the second adaptation of Juko Nishimura's Japanese novel "Kimi Yo Fundo No Kawa No...

The action director reveals details of new feature Manhunt, a long-awaited remake of The Killer and his thoughts on retirement.

John Woo spent much of the ‘90s and early 2000s directing Us hits like Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II, before going back to Chinese films with Red Cliff in 2008.

So would he ever consider a return to Hollywood?

“I have never left. I still enjoy working with Hollywood. I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood,” the legendary Hong Kong action director told ScreenDaily at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 22-31).

“So after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.”

There has long been talk of an English-language remake of The Killer, the 1989 Hong Kong assassin flick that raised Woo’s profile globally as a director of hard-boiled action films and helped launch his move...

From The Craft and The Birds to The Fugitive and She's All That, the many film reboots and remakes currently in the works...

Over the years that Den Of Geek has been going, we've regularly been charting the assortment of reboots and remakes that are making their way through the Hollywood system. This, then, is the current state of play. We've removed a bunch of projects that seem utterly dead - the once mooted remakes of Videodrome and Timecrimes, for instance - but we'll keep this list up to date as and when we hear of more.

Without further ado, here's what's coming up...

Akira

One of Hollywood's most on and off projects, the current state of the live action Akira remake is that it's back in the works. Marco J Ramirez, the showrunner for season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil show, has been hired to pen a screenplay. Warner Bros is still backing the film,...

While we're still waiting to see John Woo's epic The Crossing here in the United States, the filmmaker is getting ready to plan his next project. ScreenDaily reports the director of Face/Off, Red Cliff and Hard Target has set his sights on Manhunt, a new adaptation of the Japanese novel Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare by Juko Nishimura. The book was first adapted back in 1976 and just so happens to be the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution. But it sounds like the film might be a more prominent release overseas with Media Asia Films, based out of Hong Kong, behind the project. Read on! The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Sounds like your standard action thriller, which we know Woo can do well most of the time.

John Woo has spent the last few years of his directorial career focusing more on epic histories such as the Red Cliff films and more intimate dramas like The Crossing. And while he hasn’t eschewed action elements all together, he’s had his attention elsewhere. But it appears he’s ready to get back into the thriller game with Manhunt.Based on Japanese author Juko Nishimura’s novel, Manhunt was originally adapted into a film in 1976, and became the first foreign film released in China following the Cultural Revolution. It tracks a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and must head out on a mission to clear his name while taking down those who are trying to ruin it.Woo’s interest in the movie was sparked by his love for Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who took the lead and worked solidly until his death last year.

John Woo (Face/Off) is set to direct a remake of Manhunt, based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, for Hong Kong-based Media Asia Films. The story follows a prosecutor framed for rape, murder and robbery who sets out to clear his name. The book was previously adapted for the screen in 1976 by Japanese director Junya Sato, and starring Ken Takakura (The Yakuza) as the prosecutor. Takakura passed away last November at the age of 83. Manhunt is notable in China…...

John Woo is set to direct a remake of the action thriller "Manhunt" at Media Asia Films.

Based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, the story follows a prosecutor framed for robbery and rape who sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name.

The work was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring Ken Takakura and a movie which was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.

Woo was a huge fan of Takakura, who died fairly recently. Filming will begin later this year.

Source: Screen...

John Woo is to direct a remake of action thriller Manhunt, based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, for Hong Kong-based Media Asia Films.

The novel, Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare, was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, who passed away last year. It was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.

The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Media Asia acquired the rights to the original novel from Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten Publishing.

Woo has been a huge fan of Takakura since watching him in Yasuo Furuhata’s 1983 Station. In 2005, the Japanese actor worked with Chinese director Zhang Yimou, starring in Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.

“When I found out that John was a huge fan of the late Ken Takakura, I immediately...

Hong Kong director John Woo will mark his return to the action thriller arena with a remake of the classic Japanese movie Manhunt, which revolves around a man framed for multiple murders and pursued by police while he tries to clear his name. The movie will be produced by Media Asia and will begin shooting this year. Media Asia will start pre-sales on the movie at next week’s Filmart in Hong Kong. Manhunt is based on the Japanese novel Kimi yo Funnu no Kawa o Watare by Juko Nishimura, which was first adapted for the screen in Japan in

read more...