Summary
The American remake ofTrain to Busanhas received a fresh, yet disappointing update from the director who is attached to helm the film, raising concerns about whether the much-awaited adaptation will ever see the light of day.
Released in 2016, the original Korean zombie film directed by Yeon Sang-ho turned out to be a massive hit globally and was praised for its unique take on a genre that had been going on for decades. Apart from doing well in local markets,Train to Busandid commercially well in other territories, including the US and Canada. In 2021, an American remake of the Korean action-horror flick, titledThe Last Train to New York, was announced with James Wan producing and Warner Bros. serving as the global distributor. As per initial reports, the film was scheduled for release in April 2023. However, it was removed from the release calendar in 2022, and since then, there has been no substantial news about the film’s release schedule. Now, years later, fans have finally received an update about the official remake from Timo Tjahjanto, the filmmaker attached to the project, but the news isn’t too promising.
Train to Busan Remake Still Stalled: Director Timo Tjahjanto Opens Up on Delays
While replying to a fan’s query on the social media platformX (formerly known as Twitter), Tjahjanto opened up about The Last Train to New York and if he was still directing the Train to Busan remake. The Indonesian filmmaker noted that despite being linked to the project for the last five years, the remake remains “stalled” due to factors beyond his control, leaving its future uncertain. He replied,“I’ve been ready since 2020, but when a film is stalled, that’s not up to the director.“The comments made by the director make it clear that there is no clear timeline in sight for the remake, and fans may have to wait a little longer to see how the Hollywood adaptation unravels.
The Korean film chronicles the journey of a group of people traveling from Seoul to Busan on a KTX (Korea Train eXpress). However, things get upside down when a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out in the country and threatens the safety of the passengers. Train to Busan held its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and garnered near-universal acclaim from the critics who saw the film during the festival. The positive word-of-mouth turned out to be really significant for the movie when it was released in theaters. The film, which had a production budget of just $8 million, earned $80.5 million in South Korea and another $12.2 million inother territories to take its global tally to $92.7 million. Moreover, it achieved a lot of success on streaming platforms, especially Netflix, where the movie spent months in the platform’s Top 10 films list. The popularity ofTrain to Busanprompted the production house, Next Entertainment World, to expand the film’s universe and turn it into a franchise. In August 2016, an animated prequel,Seoul Station, was released in theaters and received universal acclaim. Meanwhile, in 2020, a standalone sequel titledPeninsulawas released, but couldn’t achieve the level of success that the original film did.
Although there is no news about the remake, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Hollywood adaptation ofTrain to Busanwill see the light of day anytime soon. Years of delays, shifting industry priorities, and creative roadblocks have kept the project in limbo. Additionally, Tjahjanto’s busy schedule is also a piece of inauspicious news forThe Last Train to New York. He is currently gearing up for the release ofNobody 2, featuring Bob Odenkirk in the lead role, while he’ll be directing Jason Statham inThe Beekeeper 2,which might make its way into theaters next year. With no official updates on production or casting, the film appears to be stuck in development hell, leaving fans questioning whether it will ever materialize or simply fade away as another abandoned remake.
