"Youth of the Beast" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Can’t say I ever saw this coming. John Woo is reportedly planning to direct a remake of Seijun Suzuki’s 1963 film Youth of the Beast. Woo’s version will carry the title Day of the Beast. Here’s where things get crazy (and multi-national): the remake is set in Tokyo and sees a Western outsider become involved in a turf war between the Yakuza and the Russian mob. Day of the Beast will be shot in English with an eye on making sure the movie has international appeal.
Director Seijin Suzuki is perhaps best known for movies like Branded to Kill (1967) and Tokyo Drifter (1966), both of which are available from the Criterion Collection. John Woo claims he has been wanting to remake Youth of the Beast for 10 years but only now has he secured the rights from the Nikkatsu company.
Even if the premise and title are a deviation from Suzuki’s original, I’m just looking forward to seeing John Woo behind the camera again for a modern day gangster picture. Let’s hope this ends up being one hell of a ‘pistol opera.’
Woo!!! I thought John had retired. Time for some more gun gutfests yes!
So glad to hear the return of the king of action cinema. I hope Chow Yun-Fat is the lead