Keanu Reeves could be teaming up with director James Wan to hunt a serial killer in his next movie. Keanu Reeves, the star of John Wick, is said to be in discussions about joining a remake of South Korean crime thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, which would see Wan return to the sort of dark subject matter that helped launch his career with Saw. The film follows an unlikely partnership between a police detective and a gangster, both of whom are determined to catch the same killer, but for very different reasons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves is in talks to star in Paramount’s remake of the 2019 film, with Don Lee returning as a gangster who survives an encounter with a serial killer. The gangster wants revenge. The detective wants justice. Reeves’ role is unconfirmed. Pearson’s credits include Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He wrote the latest screenplay, with previous drafts by Shay Hatten and Brian Helgeland. Sylvester Stallone is also a producer on the film.
Reeves has played lawmen before, such as FBI agent Johnny Utah in Point Break. His most significant action break-out came as LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven in Speed, in which he had to save a busload of passengers from a mad bomber, played by Dennis Hopper. In 2008’s Street Kings, he returned to the LAPD as a troubled detective investigating the murder of his former partner. He also portrayed a serial killer. He starred as David Allen Griffin, a murderer who stalked and taunted a retired FBI agent played by James Spader in 2000’s The Watcher. More than 25 years later, Reeves could be on the other side of a similar investigation.
Wan is returning to a familiar place, too. His 2004 breakout hit Saw introduced audiences to Jigsaw and launched one of horror’s biggest franchises. He followed it up with Insidious and The Conjuring before moving into blockbuster filmmaking with Furious 7 and Aquaman. The original The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil is closer to The Departed than Se7en in tone, but that doesn’t mean Wan won’t find a way to let his horror roots bubble to the surface. His latest directing credit was Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023.
Don Lee, aka Ma Dong-seok, is best known to American audiences for Train to Busan and his role as Gilgamesh in Marvel’s Eternals. He played gangster Jang Dong-su in the original The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, released at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. Video game players might also know him from Ground Zero, a 2021 live-action short film that shows the birth of the Battlegrounds within the PUBG Universe that also served to introduce the game’s Taego map. Lee also starred in a cinematic trailer for the game. Here’s that short:
The American remake has been in the works since 2019, with Wan now set to direct and Reeves potentially joining the cast. Production is reportedly set to begin in April 2027, though Paramount has yet to announce a release date. With Reeves potentially reprising his role as a cop and Wan bringing experience in both horror and action, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil could be an ideal project for both. Reeves understands what it’s like to play both sides of a serial killer investigation, and Wan knows how to make audiences fearful of what will happen if the killer catches up.
