The Hollywood remake of South Korean zombie thriller Train to Busan (2016) is moving ahead full steam, with five major studios competing for the rights, Deadline reported. Latest reports indicate that New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Entertainment, is leading the bidding war. The contenders include Paramount, Lionsgate and Screen Gems, while Universal has bowed out, Deadline said.
The remake will be scripted by Gary Dauberman and produced by James Wan and French studio Gaumont, which had bought the rights to an English-language remake in 2016. Dauberman’s screenwriting credits include the Annabelle horror films and The Nun (2018).
The South Korean hit, directed by Yeon Sang-ho, follows a group of passengers trying to make their way safely from Seoul to Busan after a zombie apocalypse breaks out in the country. The cast includes Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, and Ma Dong-seok. Train to Busan earned more than $87 million at the global box office. In August, Yeon confirmed a sequel to Train to Busan, which is tentatively titled Peninsula.