Amazon MGM Studios is officially working on a remake of the 1967 yakuza film A Colt Is My Pᴀssport, and has announced several stars who will be joining the cast. The ’60s Japanese crime thriller directed by Takashi Nomura follows a contract killer and his driver who are forced to go on the run after the successful ᴀssᴀssination of a yakuza boss, on behalf of his former partner.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reports that filming for the reimagining, directed by Gareth Evans (The Raid franchise), has already been completed. Written by Chris Webb, and produced by Evans for One More One Productions and Ed Talfan for Severn Screen, the new A Colt Is My Pᴀssport‘s setting has been moved to 1978 Detroit and follows a Vietnam veteran turned ᴀssᴀssin.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅline also revealed that Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, who previously collaborated with Evans on Gangs of London, has been cast in the lead role. Webb and Talfan are also both previous collaborators of Evans. Also making up the cast so far are Tim Roth, Jack Reynor, Lucy Boynton, Victor Alli, Ewan Mitchell, Burn Gorman, and Noah Taylor.

Evans released a statement about being captivated by the original A Colt Is My Pᴀssport, as well as praising the cast and crew of his production:

From the moment I first saw Takashi Nomura’s wildly influential A Colt Is My Pᴀssport, I fell in love with its bold fusion of genres. Merging film noir and spaghetti western tropes together in an irresistible way I knew immediately I wanted to take on the challenge of making this my next feature. More a reimagining than a remake, Chris Webb’s remarkable, noir-drenched script has taken the original film’s core themes and built upon them gifting the story’s iconic characters more emotional weight while retaining its deep rooted genre influences.

The incredible cast led by […] have been an absolute dream to work with. Their dedication towards realising the vision of the film has been nothing short of inspiring, making the last 12 weeks of production a deeply rewarding and reinvigorating experience. I am beyond grateful for the trust and faith Orion have shown in us and I am so excited to share this wildly ambitious film with audiences worldwide.

What This Means For A Colt Is My Pᴀssport Remake

Suffice it to say, Evans’ A Colt Is My Pᴀssport has an impressive cast who seem especially well-suited to this project. They are collectively bringing various experiences in crime, mystery, and action to the project that will help it achieve the genre-blending quality Evans admires about the original. Tim Roth is especially a highlight, being known for his collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino.

Meanwhile, Noah Taylor appeared alongside Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow, while Ewan Mitchell delivers a fascinatingly evil performance in House of the Dragon. Burn Gorman is a repeat collaborator of Guillermo del Toro and features in both Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Dark Knight Rises, while Victor Alli is also a Gangs of London alum.

This mix has the potential to portray a roster of very engaging supporting characters whom the protagonist encounters as he flees danger. One would ᴀssume that the characters of the new A Colt Is My Pᴀssport will parallel the cast from the original movie, and fans may already be ᴀssigning particular actors to characters in their heads.

Our Take On A Colt Is My Pᴀssport’s Remake

It’s been so long since the original A Colt Is My Pᴀssport came out, and the remake is offering something different enough from that movie that it sounds like a promising project. Even those who are not familiar with the ’60s movie may be intrigued by the potential on-screen dynamics, wondering what it will look like when these actors’ intense performances are brought together.