Lionsgate will release John Woo’s “Silent Night” on Dec. 1, 2023, the studio announced on Friday.
The film is Woo’s first American theatrical film since 2003’s “Paycheck,” and Woo directed the project without a single word of dialogue.
The film stars Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
The official synopsis is as follows: From legendary director John Woo and the producer of “John Wick” comes the gritty revenge tale of a tormented father (Kinnaman) who witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang’s crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, Kinnaman makes vengeance his life’s mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son’s death. Full of Woo’s signature style, “Silent Night” redefines the action genre with visceral thrill-a-minute storytelling.
Woo directed the film from a script by Robert Archer Lynn.
The producers are Christian Mercuri, Lori Tilkin deFelice, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and John Woo. The production companies are Thunder Road Films, Capstone Studios, A Better Tomorrow Films.
Woo previously told Vulture about his decision to make the silent film.
“The whole movie is without dialogue,” Woo said. “It allowed me to use visuals to tell the story, to tell how the character feels. We are using music instead of language. And the movie is all about sight and sound. … in this movie, I tried to combine things without doing any coverage shots. I had to force myself to use a new kind of technique. Some scenes were about two or three pages, but I did it all in one shot.”
Woo is best known for American films like “Face/Off” and “Mission: Impossible II,” and for his early Hong Kong action films, including “Hard Boiled” and “The Killer.”
