#Train to Busan U.S. Remake Lines Up VHS 2 Director Timo Tjahjanto

New Line’s remake of the hugely successful South Korean zombie flick Train to Busan has finally begun to pick up some speed, with V/H/S/2 director Timo Tjahjanto being brought aboard to helm the project. The Train to Busan Remake is being produced by Atomic Monster, which is headed up by modern horror movie maestro, James Wan, the man behind such frightening hits as Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring.

Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Gaumont’s Nicolas Atlan and Terry Kalagian will produce alongside Wan with Coin Operated’s Gary Dauberman, who is adapting the screenplay. Judson Scott, Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee and Johanna Byer are executive producing the upcoming remake.
RELATED: Train to Busan 2: Peninsula Is Coming Summer 2020
Timo Tjahjanto first made his presence known back in 2013, directing the horrifying segment “Safe Haven” as part of the collaborative anthology V/H/S/2. Since then, the filmmaker has proven his talent for bloody action outings, directing The Raid’s Iko Uwais in the violent thriller Headshot before uniting again with the martial arts star and Mortal Kombat’s Joe Taslim for the even bloodier thriller The Night Comes for Us.

Most recently, Tjahjanto wrote and directed the dark fantasy May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two, which picks up two years after 2018’s May the Devil Take You and follows Alfie and Nara as they try to continue their lives. Alfie though is still haunted by feelings of guilt and unnatural visions, as the dangers that await them rise again to take their lives.

Released in 2016, the original Train to Busan finds Seok-woo and his daughter on a train to Busan on the latter’s birthday to see his wife. However, the journey turns into a nightmare when they are trapped amidst a zombie outbreak in South Korea. Caused by a chemical leak at a biotech plant, the zombie apocalypse quickly spreads through both the nation and the titular train itself, with our characters struggling to survive.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, and Ma Dong-seok, the original Train to Busan first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 and quickly became an international box office hit and critical smash. Praised for reigniting the crowded zombie movie genre with a unique approach, Train to Busan is an intense commute with the undead, thanks in large part to both the central performances and claustrophobic frights.

Train to Busan spawned both an animated prequel and a live action sequel, 2020’s Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula and follows a soldier who is sent along with his team to retrieve a truck full of money from the wastelands of the Korean peninsula now inhabited by zombies, rogue militia, and a family. Sadly, the sequel proved to be an unworthy follow-up and received mixed reviews from critics.

When the rights to Train to Busan hit the marketplace studio’s erupted into a savage frenzy trying to buy them up, with New Line emerging victorious. Should the remake prove to be as successful as the original, the studio will no doubt be gleefully rubbing their hands together at the thought of a potential franchise. This comes to us courtesy of Deadline.

Topics: Train to Busan Remake