The original The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil premiered at Cannes in May 2019. Lee Won-tae's Korean crime thriller follows crime boss Jang Dong-su, who barely survives a serial killer's attack and forms an uneasy alliance with a detective to hunt him down. Don Lee's performance made Jang one of the most physical presences in Korean genre cinema.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Don Lee will reprise the role in Paramount's Hollywood remake. James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) is directing, and Keanu Reeves is in active talks to star alongside him, per The Playlist. No deal for Reeves has been finalized.
Eric Pearson, whose recent credits include Fantastic Four: First Steps and the MCU's Thunderbolts*, wrote the latest draft, working from earlier versions by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland. Producers include Jason Blum and Michael Clear through Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller through Balboa Productions, and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Reeves is expected to also produce through his Two Dragonflies banner.
Reeves is expected to play the detective to Lee's mob boss. If confirmed, the casting preserves the original film's two-lead structure. Wan's last directing credit was Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023.
That a Korean star is reprising his own role in the Hollywood version is the uncommon part of this story.
