Modern action classic The Man From Nowhere (2010) looks like it may join the ranks of Old Boy (2003), My Sassy Girl (2001), Il Mare (2000) and other major Korean works that have been remade in America. The WON Bin vehicle is getting an update from New Line Cinema, which will be adapted by Derek KOLSTAD, the creator of the John Wick action series with Keanu REEVES.

From director LEE Jeong-beom, The Man From Nowhere featured superstar WON Bin (Mother, 2009) as an ex-con who tries to lead a quiet life but gets sucked back in when his next-door neighbor, a young girl played by KIM Sae-ron (The Villagers), is kidnapped by violent drug traffickers. The film quickly turned into a hit, owing to WON’s popularity and the film’s intense action quotient, as it stayed on top of the charts for five weeks. Ultimately it grossed USD 41.56 million from 6.18 million admissions and became a firm fan favorite around the world.

CJ Entertainment, which produced the original, will also participate in this redo for New Line, which recently announced that it had stepped in to develop the US remake of TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016), which will be produced by James WAN and written by Gary DAUBERMAN. KOLSTAD has penned all the John Wick films, including the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 3, slated to open next May. He is also behind the upcoming Fox/Hulu series The Hitman, based on the popular video game series.