John Woo to Direct Ninja Gold Movie

Not content with just introducing his unique brand of mayhem to the gaming world via his “John Woo’s Stranglehold” game, a sequel to his then-last Hong Kong actioner “Hard-Boiled” (the game takes place 10 years after the events of the movie, with Chow Yun-Fat reprising his role), John Woo is now in talks with game creator Warren Spector, who has created games like “Deus Ex” and “System Shock” in the past, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Woo came up with the game idea, and while Spector turns it into a game, Woo and Fox Atomic will be hooking up to turn it into a movie, with Woo’s buddy Terrence Chang producing.

“Ninja Gold” centers on a ninja warrior, part of a centuries-old legacy and bloodline, forced to confront the reality of covert warfare in the modern world.

“The game concept is actually based on facts that the Yakuza and the Russian mob are involved in tons of gold being stolen in South Africa,” Chang said.

Well okay, that last part with Chang is kind of ridiculous, and not at all related to the game, so you gotta wonder why he brought it up. Also, the premise sounds suspiciously like the 1990s movie “The Hunted” with Christopher Lambert, which to this day I still contend is an overlooked masterwork. (No, seriously.)

Anyhoo.

John Woo + ninjas = good times. ‘Nuff said.

Meanwhile, July 24th will see a re-release of Woo’s “Hard-Boiled” on its 15th anniversary. The film will be released as a two-disc edition through Dragon Dynasty DVD Label. I’ve got my copy reserved.

Hopefully Woo’s ninjas will be scarier than this one.