Chad Stahelski, director of ‘John Wick,’ will produce an English-language remake of ‘Kill’ for Lionsgate.

Chad Stahelski Lionsgate is creating an English-language adaptation of the Indian action thriller "Kill" directed by Chad Stahelski of "John Wick" and his production firm 87Eleven Entertainment. The announcement comes…

By Reetam Bodhak

July 2, 2024

2 min read

Comments

Chad Stahelski

Lionsgate is creating an English-language adaptation of the Indian action thriller “Kill” directed by Chad Stahelski of “John Wick” and his production firm 87Eleven Entertainment. The announcement comes ahead of the original Hindi-language film “Kill,” which will be released on July 4 and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.

According to Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, this weekend’s theatrical release marks one of the first occasions a mainstream Hindi-language film has collaborated with a Hollywood studio for a theatrical distribution in North America and the United Kingdom.

“‘Kill’ is one of the most vivid, wild, and creative action movies I’ve seen recently,” Stahelski said in a statement. “Nikhil delivers relentless action sequences that should be seen by as large an audience as possible.” It’s fantastic to be working on an English-language version; we have huge shoes to fill, and I’m looking forward to working with Nikhil, Karan, Apoorva, Guneet, and Achin to do so.”

Chad Stahelski

In the film, army commando Amrit (Lakshya) discovers that his star-crossed girlfriend Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) is engaged against her will. So he takes a train destined for New Delhi, hoping to derail the arranged marriage and reconcile with his real love. However, his journey takes a turn when a band of knife-wielding thieves begins to terrorise innocent travellers on the path, prompting Amrit to confront them and save those around him.

Peter Debruge, the leading film critic, described the original as “a singularly intense, Hindi-language martial arts movie” and “shockingly graphic action showcase.” It seems logical that Stahelski would be interested in developing a remake, as Debruge stated, “the body count is up there in ‘John Wick’ territory.”

“When we made ‘Kill’ with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, we dreamed of global love, and seeing North American theatres chant ‘Kill! Kill! Kill!’ was like seeing that vision come true,” the original’s producers, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta for Dharma Productions, and Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain from Sikhya Entertainment, said in a joint statement. “This declaration, made before the original film’s release, is unprecedented and a significant victory for Indian filmmaking. “We are truly honoured.”