James Wan has come aboard to direct and produce an English-language remake of Korean movie The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil for Paramount Pictures, becoming the latest bold-faced filmmaker recruited by the Skydance-owned studio. Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok and one of the stars of the original movie, is attached to star in the new project. 

Wan is already producing the next installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise for Paramount, but the action crime thriller could mark his first feature since 2023’s big-budget DC movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Wan will produce via his Atomic Monster banner. Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear will also produce.

The duo join a list of producers that include Lee, who is producing via Big Punch Global, Sylvester Stallone and D. Matt Geller via Balboa Productions, as well as Chris Lee of B&C Group, and Jang Won-seok, CEO of BA Entertainment. 

Initially premiering at the Midnight Screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Gangster Cop Devil tells of a police officer and a crime boss who reluctantly team-up to track down a serial killer. With each having their own motives to capture the killer, double-crosses and cat-and-mouse games ensue, along with a heaping helping of police versus criminals and gang versus gang action.

The movie starred Lee as the gangster, Kim Mu-yeol as the officer and Kim Sung-kyu as the serial killer.

Shay Hatten, known for his work on the John Wick franchise and Rebel Moon movies, is writing the screenplay based on a draft from Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale, L.A. Confidential), who will serve as an executive producer. 

The studio picked up the rights in June 2022.

Paramount has been staking out big-name filmmakers since being acquired by Skydance last year, securing high-profile creative partnerships, being by projects or by first-look deals. Among the new filmmaker family are the Duffer Brothers, Jon M. Chu, James Mangold, Issa Rae and Dan Trachtenberg.

Wan is the director and producer best known for his hit horror franchises, key among them The Conjuring Universe. He also launched the Saw and The Insidious horror lines. As a director, Wan also has the rare distinction of having helmed two movies earned over $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office – Furious 7,  the first Universal film to hit $1 billion, and Aquaman. Wan is repped by CAA, Stacey Testro International, and Myman Greenspan Fox.

Helgeland is repped by WME and Jackoway Austen while Hatten is repped by CAA and Lichter Grossman.