Lionsgate and 87Eleven Entertainment, the production company behind the “John Wick” franchise and the upcoming “Highlander” remake, will produce an English-language remake of the Indian action movie “Kill.” The announcement was made by Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.
The Hindi-language version of “Kill” opens this week. The original film was written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta for Dharma Productions, and Guneet Monga Kapoor & Achin Jain from Sikhya Entertainment. The release marks one fo the first times a mainstream Hindi-language film partnered with a Hollywood studio for a theatrical release in North America and the U.K.
“Kill is one of the most vivid, wild, and creative action movies I’ve seen recently,” said 87Eleven Entertainment’s Chad Stahelski in an official statement. “Nikhil delivers relentless action sequences that need to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. It’s exciting to be developing an English-language version—we have big shoes to fill and I’m looking forward to working with Nikhil, Karan, Apoorva, Guneet, and Achin to achieve that.”
In a joint statement, the producers said, “When we made Kill with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, we dreamed of global love, and seeing North American theaters chant ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’ was like seeing that vision come alive. As we approach our global release, we are thrilled that 87Eleven Entertainment will produce a remake of our film in English. Partnering with Lionsgate, the award-winning studio behind genre-defining action movies, has been incredibly gratifying. This announcement coming before the original film’s release is unprecedented and a big win for Indian cinema. We are truly honored.”
According to the official synopsis, “Kill” concerns “star-crossed lovers Tulika (Maniktala) and Amrit (Lakshya) find their clandestine relationship jeopardized after Tulika’s family whisks her aboard the Rajdhani Express bound for New Delhi and an arranged marriage. But commandos Amrit and his friend Viresh are far from willing to let fate dictate their story. They embark on a “rescue” mission that becomes a gory adventure. Blurring the lines between duty and emotion as every twist of the track could mean life or death, Kill paints a portrait of how far a man can go in love to rewrite his destiny.”
Chad Stahelski, Jason Spitz, and Alex Young will produce for 87Eleven Entertainment.
