By Rebecca Rubin
Senior Film and Media Reporter
“John Wick” director Chad Stahelski and his production company 87Eleven Entertainment are producing an English-language remake of the Indian action film “Kill” for Lionsgate.
The announcement comes ahead of the release of the original Hindi-language “Kill,” which is directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and opens on July 4. According to Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, this weekend’s theatrical rollout marks one of the first times a mainstream Hindi-language film is partnering with a Hollywood studio for a theatrical release in North America and the U.K.
“’Kill’ is one of the most vivid, wild, and creative action movies I’ve seen recently,” Stahelski said in a statement. “Nikhil delivers relentless action sequences that need to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. It’s exciting to be developing an English-language version — we have big shoes to fill and I’m looking forward to working with Nikhil, Karan, Apoorva, Guneet, and Achin to achieve that.”
In the film, army commando Amrit (Lakshya) finds out his star-crossed lover Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) is engaged against her will. So he boards a New Delhi-bound train to derail the arranged marriage and reunite with his true love. But his journey takes a turn when a gang of knife-wielding thieves begin to terrorize innocent passengers on the trail, prompting Amrit to take them on himself and save those around him.
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Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge described the original as “a singularly intense, Hindi-language martial arts movie” and “shockingly graphic action showcase.” It makes sense that Stahelski would be inclined to develop a remake since Debruge wrote, “the body count is up there in ‘John Wick’ territory.”
“When we made ‘Kill’ with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, we dreamed of global love, and seeing North American theaters chant ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’ was like seeing that vision come alive,” producers of the original — Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta for Dharma Productions, and Guneet Monga Kapoor & Achin Jain from Sikhya Entertainment — said in a joint statement. “This announcement coming before the original film’s release is unprecedented and a big win for Indian cinema. We are truly honored.”
Jason Spitz and Alex Young will also produce the remake for 87Eleven Entertainment.
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