James Wan Calls Train to Busan Remake ‘The Last Train to New York’ a “Passion Project”

It’s been radio silence for a while now on The Last Train to New York, the long-gestating remake of the acclaimed South Korean zombie film Train to Busan. Once slated for an April 2023 release and set to be directed by Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us, May the Devil Take You), the project has since stalled—with no official release date in sight.

But according to producer James Wan, the undead aren’t entirely buried just yet.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Wan reaffirmed his enthusiasm for the project.

“That’s definitely still a passion project of ours,” he said. “I hope that could get off the ground eventually. Got to be honest with you, I’m not quite sure where it sits right now.”

Though originally positioned as a remake, Wan now describes The Last Train to New York as more of an American expansion of the universe introduced in Train to Busan, rather than a direct rehash.

“Creatively, it takes place in the same world as Train to Busan,” he explained. “It’s happening epidemically around the world. So if Train to Busan is this particular slice of the story in South Korea, we want Train to New York to be the one set in America.”

Released in 2016, Train to Busan—directed by Sang-ho Yeon—quickly became a modern horror classic. Set almost entirely on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak, the film combined fast-paced terror with emotional weight, spawning both a sequel (Peninsula) and an animated prequel (Seoul Station).

While The Last Train to New York remains in limbo for now, Wan’s continued passion suggests the project may still find its track—eventually.