Keanu Reeves is in final negotiations to star in James Wan's Hollywood remake of The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, the 2019 South Korean crime thriller, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project is set up at Paramount Pictures.
Don Lee, who starred in the original as crime boss Jang Dong-su, is also attached and will reprise his role. The remake brings together two of action cinema's most physical presences on the same side of the law.
The original film, directed by Lee Won-tae, premiered in the Midnight section of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival before Well Go USA released it in October 2019. A notorious crime lord teams up with a police detective to pursue a serial killer, each operating from their own agenda. Wan's version carries a script by Eric Pearson, based on earlier drafts by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland.
Wan will produce through Blumhouse Atomic Monster alongside Jason Blum and Michael Clear. Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller are producing through Balboa Productions, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura also attached. Don Lee produces through Big Punch Global. Production is expected to begin in April 2027 in Los Angeles.
The project marks Wan's return to directing. His last film in the chair was Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023. Reeves also has Ruben Östlund's The Entertainment System Is Down for A24, expected at Cannes 2027, according to World of Reel.
