Original Train to Busan Director Hopes American Remake Will be "Completely New Creation"

With the 2016 feature film Train to Busan, filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho revitalized the zombie subgenre in horror after it had become somewhat stale following years of The Walking Dead and the imitators that it spawned. The South Korean movie instantly became a hit around the globe and when that happens the next thing that usually occurs is an American remake, which is already in the works. Though fans have already raised their eyebrows at the prospect, and the filmmaker attached to the movie is eager to prove the haters wrong, Yeon Sang-ho has his own perspective on the new film and what he hopes it does with the material.

"We use the expression or word 'remake,' but I do not think that a remake is something that you just apply more sophisticated technology to based on an original piece of work," the filmmaker revealed to TIME. "I believe a remake should be a completely new creation. And as the creator of the original work, I do not think that there need to be similarities between the remake and the original Train to Busan. I actually hope that it will have its very own unique qualities and a new vision. In fact, as the creator, if it was almost exactly interpreted compared to the original work, wouldn't it be better to just watch the original Train to Busan?"

He continued, "So I think that the new creation is definitely going to be something that holds the new director's vision, and my personal hope is that the new remake will not really refer to or think too much about being loyal to the original work, but be a completely new creation."

The American remake of Busan, which will reportedly betitled Last Train to New York, features a host of talent behind the camera which will include Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us) as director with Saw and The Conjuring's James Wan attached as a producer. Gary Dauberman (IT, Annabelle Comes Home) penned the script.

Responding to a Twitter user that called the potential remake "one of the worst ideas ever" and said Tjahjanto could "become one of the most hated filmmakers ever," the filmmaker had a hilarious reply: "If someones not hating your career somewhere in a dark dingy corner of the galaxy , means youre not aiming high enough. – Worf, son of Mogh."  

Sang-ho recently teased that he has idea for a third film in the Train to Busan series, which was followed by a sequel, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula earlier this year and an animated prequel, Seoul Station.