John Woo Details Next Movie Project, Will Be a ‘Half-Musical’ With Sparks Brothers

John Woo’s next movie with be a “half-musical.”

Woo is a film director who is best known for making ultra-stylized and violent action movies such as 1986’s A Better Tomorrow, 1989’s The Killer, 1992’s Hard Boiled, 1997’s Face/Off, and more. His most recent film, which is now streaming on Peacock, was a remake of The Killer starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy.

Speaking with Empire Magazine, Woo discussed what he now plans to film next.

What will John Woo’s next project with Sparks look like?

“My next project is actually a half-musical,” Woo said. “I’m going to be working with the Sparks Brothers, who wrote the script and songs — we are just starting work on some changes to the script.”

He added, “It will be my first movie where I don’t need to hire a stuntman.”

Brothers Ron and Russell Mael released Sparks’ debut album in 1971. In total, Sparks has released 26 studio albums and has had hit songs such as “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us,” “When I’m with You,” and more. They wrote all the music for Leos Carax’s musical film Annette, which was released in 2021 and starred Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. They were also the subject of Edgar Wright’s 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers.

The official X account previously hinted at a collaboration with Woo, as a photo of Woo, Ron, and Russell was shared on September 5, 2024. View the post below:

In November 2022, Focus Features announced that the studio was developing an “original musical” with Sparks titled X Crucior, though few other details were given and Woo’s involvement had not been announced at the time. Sparks’ September 5 X post includes the hashtag #xcrucior.

Woo also confirmed that, in addition to the Sparks “half-musical” movie, he’s working on a Western project written by Brian Helgeland.

“It has a lot of romance and a lot of emotion and exciting action,” he said.

Brandon Schreur

Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur.