James McTeigue has picked his next directorial project. He has been signed to direct the big screen adaptation of John Burdett’s Bankok 8. 8 follows the exploits of Thai police officer Sonchai Jitpleecheep.
When a U.S. Marine is killed in Bangkok, the task of finding the murderer falls to Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, seemingly the only member of the Royal Thai Police Force whose idea of justice precludes his fellow officers’ customary system of bribery. This assignment’s especially important to the devout detective for during the investigation of the murder scene, the methamphetamine-stoked snakes that bit the marine also kill Sonchai’s police partner, best friend, and Buddhist soul-mate Pichai. Sonchai’s pursuit of revenge will team him with a sexually frustrated FBI agent and leave them at the mercy of yaa-baa-fueled motorcycle-taxi drivers as they hurtle through neon-lit Bangkok and into the labyrinthine and deadly machinations of the international jade and drug trades in search of the killer.
No writer has been announced as of yet. I am very curious to see who they sign; the books are gritty in nature and not the typical mainstream Hollywood fare. If done right, this could be an amazing film, but also one that would likely have a limited audience because of a R rating.
Millenium pictures has purchased the films rights for the first three books in hopes of turning it into a franchise.
After being an assistant director on such blockbusters as
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and
the Matrix trilogy, James stepped out on his own with
V for Vendetta. Despite the concerns of V creator Alan Moore, V turned out to be a critical and commercial success. Though it is worth noting that there have been rumors that James had help with V. James most recently was an
“additional director” for the Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig thriller
The Invasion.
The plan is to film in Thailand. No word on casting as of yet. While I have the utmost faith in Mr. McTeigue, I could see the typical Hollywood clown casting Jackie Chan or Jet Li.
James McTeigue has picked his next directorial project. He has been signed to direct the big screen adaptation of John Burdett’s Bankok 8. 8 follows the exploits of Thai police officer Sonchai Jitpleecheep.
The books often contain so much cultural and spritual points that might be confusing to some Western audiences. But the story is about people and how they conform or rebel to life in the context of who they are, or are becoming. I hope a better job is done than the Pang brothers did remaking Bangkok Dangerous. Life and death has many sides when viewed by different cultures.