Train to Busan US Remake Writer Spills What Intense Original Moments Will Stay!

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Gary Dauberman, who’s adapting the hit South Korean zombie movie “Train to Busan” for American audiences, shared some details about his remake approach. In an interview with ComicBook while discussing his work on the video game adaptation “Until Dawn,” he discussed the aspects he wanted to keep from Yeon Sang-ho’s 2016 original. Dauberman mentioned that while the US version (originally titled “The Last Train to New York”) will have some direct comparisons, his primary focus is on capturing the powerful emotional heart and character interactions that made the original film popular worldwide. This information comes at a time when the high-profile project has been in development limbo for years, with Timo Tjahjanto as director and James Wan as producer but no release date yet after being removed from Warner Bros.’ schedule in 2022.

Dauberman shared with us that he’s familiar with the train corridor between Philly and other cities like DC and New York, having traveled on it numerous times. He finds the human aspect of these journeys truly remarkable. The original text is excellent, but let’s see if we can adjust it slightly to better reflect his thoughts: “Growing up in Philadelphia, I’ve traveled that train line many times, from Washington D.C. to New York City. What strikes me most is the human experience. As for transportation in Korea, it’s handled quite differently. This script is a project I take great pride in.

Dauberman’s remarks indicate that the remake will relocate the action from the Seoul-Busan KTX bullet train in Korea to a well-known East Coast train line in America. This spatial adjustment necessitates altering aspects linked to the distinctive features of Korean high-speed rail, offering a fresh challenge. However, Dauberman’s strategy seems to be leveraging his knowledge of the new setting to anchor the story, possibly delving into how American infrastructure and perhaps societal reactions could differ during an unexpected zombie outbreak.

Dauberman went on to say, “I won’t provide detailed references, but I’m hinting at some direct tributes. There are a couple of scenes, and what I’m aiming to convey is the same raw emotion from the original. Yes, there are some direct correspondences, but the quality of the first one’s emotion and characters is exceptional. I don’t want to alter that. They nailed it so well, I’m focusing on staying true to those elements.

The Long, Troubled Journey of The Last Train to New York

Despite bringing together horror veterans and generating a lot of excitement, the American remake of “Train to Busan” has found itself in a prolonged stage of production known as development hell. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema started working on the remake not long after the original film’s huge success in 2016. Things seemed promising when Timo Tjahjanto, an accomplished Indonesian director known for gruesome action films such as “The Night Comes for Us” and segments in the “V/H/S” horror anthology series, was appointed director in February 2021. By December 2021, the project had been given the title “The Last Train to New York” and a release date of April 21, 2023, suggesting it was moving quickly.

Despite initial progress, the momentum for “The Last Train to New York” seemed to disappear by July 2022. With no updates on casting or filming and no announcement from Warner Bros., the movie was discreetly taken off their release schedule, leaving its fate unclear. Earlier in the year, Tjahjanto addressed the remake’s delay, saying, “I’ve been prepared since 2020, but when a film is postponed, it’s not my decision,” hinting at the studio as the source of the delay. The absence of an official explanation from Warner Bros. or producers like James Wan has sparked speculation about the reasons for the prolonged halt, even though it’s reported that Dauberman’s script is already finished.

The first installment of “Train to Busan” offered a potent critique on themes like class, sacrifice, and human nature, primarily through the strong bond between protagonists Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an). This movie became a worldwide sensation, generating more than $98 million globally on a budget of $8.5 million and receiving an impressive 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It breathed new life into the zombie genre through its tense atmosphere, unyielding pace, and emotional depth, leading to both an animated prequel (“Seoul Station”) and a live-action sequel (“Peninsula”). The original director, Yeon Sang-ho, expressed his wish for any remake to be a fresh creation rather than a replica. The challenge of creating something new while staying true to the original, along with potential changes in studio strategies or difficulties translating cultural intricacies, may account for the project’s delay.

Until Dawn is currently available in theaters.

Is it your belief that “The Last Train to New York” will ever depart from the station, or has the production of this revised version been halted indefinitely? Feel free to share your thoughts below!

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2025-04-29 12:11