The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that John Woo is set to return to a genre he helped define with a remake of classic Japanese actioner, Junya Sato’s Manhunt. Originally released in 1976, the thriller had a huge cultural impact on just about everyone at the time – Woo included – as it marked the first feature film to be released in China following Mao Zedong’s revolution.
On a personal level, the modern retelling will also offer Woo the opportunity to pay homage to the original’s leading star, Ken Takakura, who played a no-nonsense cop caught in a seemingly never-ending whirlpool of corruption. Per THR, here’s what the acclaimed filmmaker said about Takakura and the profound influence he had on him as a director.
“Ken Takakura is one of my favorite actors in the world. He was my idol, and he has influenced a lot of my films. Chow Yun-Fat’s image in A Better Tomorrow was inspired by Takakura’s image and style. I wanted to make a movie dedicated to Ken Takakura. I like him so much. He is such an influential actor. During the funeral of [Japanese director] Kinji Fukasaku, Takakura read out a eulogy I sent. A few months ago, I was looking for material to make a film to commemorate Takakura, and [Media Asia chief] Peter Lam called me and asked me to remake Manhunt. I was very excited.”
It’s an announcement that came to fruition during the Cannes Film Festival, and it’s understood that Media Asia will produce the Manhunt remake. No word yet on when production is to get underway, though the fact that John Woo is at the helm will certainly garner a lot of attention from both fans of the director and actors looking to get in on the action.
