A trend that might never end in Hollywood is American remakes of foreign movies, more so if they are box office hits, and thankfully, Hollywood gave up on remaking an amazing Korean horror movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Korea has stood out in recent years for its high-quality movies and TV shows, and though it has become best-known for its dramas (known as K-dramas), it also has an interesting catalog of horror movies. One of its biggest hits from this genre is the 2016 action horror movie Train to Busan, directed by Yeon Sang-ho and written by Park Joo-suk.
Train to Busan follows Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), who’s taking his estranged daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an), to Busan, as the girl wants to spend her birthday with her mother. However, when an ill woman runs onto the train unnoticed, she turns into a zombie and rapidly infects everyone on the train. Seok-woo, Su-an, and other pᴀssengers do their best to keep the zombies away while also finding a way to get to Busan. Train to Busan was a critical and commercial success, so much so that it launched a movie series that almost included an American remake.
Warner Bros. Apparently Shelved The American Train To Busan Remake In 2022
Train To Busan Was In The Process Of Being Remade
Train to Busan was praised for its “unique” take on zombies, its layered and well-developed characters, social commentary, action scenes, and suspense. Train to Busan was followed by an animated prequel, written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho. тιтled Seoul Station and also released in 2016, the movie explores how the zombie epidemic in Train to Busan started, and was also well-received by critics. That same year, Gaumont acquired the rights for an English-language remake of Train to Busan.
In 2021, it was revealed that James Wan was going to produce the American remake of Train to Busan, with Gary Dauberman adapting the script (via EW). A month later, Timo Tjahjanto was announced as director for the remake of Train to Busan (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline), and in December of 2021, the project was revealed to be тιтled The Last Train to New York. The movie was scheduled for an April 21, 2023, release, but in 2022, Warner Bros. removed the тιтle from its schedule, and Lee Cronin’s Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Rise took its spot.
At the time of writing, there haven’t been any updates on the future of The Last Train to New York nor any other attempts to remake Train to Busan, so it’s fair to say that the project is no longer happening. However, what seems to still be happening is a sequel to 2020’s Peninsula, the sequel to Train to Busan.
Why There Is No Reason For An American Remake Of Train To Busan To Be Made
Train To Busan Is Perfect As It Is
There are few examples where the American remake of a foreign movie has been as good or even better as the original, but when the original is as good as Train to Busan, there really is no need to remake it. Train to Busan deserves all the praise it got, the high scores, and its place as one of the best horror movies ever made. The story and characters are very unique to the setting, and that can’t be matched in a remake, and what made Train to Busan so innovative will never have the same impact if remade.
The American remake of Train to Busan never felt authentic and, instead, felt more like Hollywood taking advantage of the movie’s success and popularity.
Train to Busan is very unique, and repeating it in another setting would be senseless. The American remake of Train to Busan never felt authentic and, instead, felt more like Hollywood taking advantage of the movie’s success and popularity. Surely, Hollywood can come up with a unique zombie movie that doesn’t have to be attached to the Train to Busan movie series.
Sources: EW, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.
