John Woo, the Hong Kong action maestro, will bring his stylistic flare to a remake of "Day of the Beast."
Woo will direct the English-language update of Seijun Suzuki’s 1963 Japanese film, as well as co-produce.
"Day of the Beast" centers on a turf war involving Cold War Russian gangsters and the Yakuza, the Japanese mob.
Woo made a big splash in the United States in the late 1990s and early aughts, translating his balletic action sequences to mainstream Hollywood productions like "Mission: Impossible II" (2000) and "Face/Off" (1997).
However, his stateside output waned following the critical and commercial failures of his World War II epic "Windtalkers" (2001) and his science-fiction thriller "Paycheck" (2003). In recent years, he directed the Chinese epic war film "Red Cliff" (2008).
"Day of the Beast" will be a produced through Woo and Terence Chang’s Lion Rock Productions and Nikkatsu Corporation.
Nikkatsu is Japan's oldest major movie studio and the film's production will coincide with a celebration of its 100th anniversary this year.
"This remake is my salute to the great films and filmmakers produced by Nikkatsu's 100 years in cinema history," Woo said.
