“Dozens of zombie films come out every year, and yet every one of them is being dictated by a rigid moral logic. Characters are placed into categories of heroes and villains – the characters who care about themselves, and those who care about others,” we recently noted, adding that, “Few zombie films have ever made this schematic more transparent than Yeon Sang-Ho’s Train to Busan, an occasionally smart, and very entertaining zombie film that makes final judgments about nearly every major and minor character within thirty seconds of their first appearance.”
In news that should surprise few, the South Korean zombie thriller is now being considered for an American remake. THR reports the rights to the trapped-in-a-train action-horror picture is currently between fighting parents as a bidding war between Sony and Fox has broken out. A few French studios are also in discussions to grab the rights, but money talks, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Hollywood wins out. The original film is doing quite well South Korea, surpassing Now You See Me 2 there to become the fastest movie to reach $5 million.
Despite the zombies-piling-widely-on-top-of-each-other imagery already covered by World War Z — not to mention a planned sequel — it looks like executives believe America needs another stab at the genre. In the name of remaining objective, there’s no need to restate issues with this, but it’s proof yet again that American audiences really must dislike subtitles. If you’re not scared of words on the screen and would like to get caught up earlier with the story before the remake, Train to Busan is currently enjoying a healthy U.S. run as it nears $750,000 at the box office here.
As we await more details, check out the U.S. trailer below, along with the preview for the animated prequel Seoul Station.