"I Saw The Devil," one of the most violent and depraved films to come out of South Korea in recent years, will be remade for American audiences.

Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, the creative team behind the newly released genre film "The Guest," are nearing a deal to write and direct an English-Language version of the psychological thriller, according to The Wrap. The remake was first announced in December.

Producer Adi Shankar, who is responsible for the films "Dredd," "The Grey," "Lone Survivor," and "Killing Them Softly," announced the remake on YouTube.
Speaking about the new creative team, Shankar said, "Honestly, I couldn't be more excited."

"They're fans," Shankar continued. "They're fans of 'I Saw the Devil.' They're fans of Korean cinema. They'sre such big fans of Korean cinema they went to Korea to try to make a movie there. Who does that?"

Released in 2010, the original "I Saw the Devil" showed how much more South Korean filmmakers could get away with than western directors. Directed by Kim Jee-Woon, it was an ultra-violent film that didn't waste one frame of its two-and-a-half hour running time.

"I Saw The Devil" starred Choi Min-sik from the film "Oldboy," which was remade last year by Spike Lee, as Kyung-chul, a psychopath and serial killer. One of his victims is the pregnant fiancé of special agent Joo-yeon, played by Lee Byung-hun, from the film "G.I. Joe."

The special agent, who has been level-headed and professional his entire career, becomes a monster as he repeatedly captures, tortures, releases and captures the serial killer over and over again. The cat and mouse game gets increasingly bizarre with each repetition.

 "I Saw the Devil" was  driven by character rather than plot. It pushed the limits of revenge films, police procedurals and serial killer movies to make for groundbreaking suspense. Jee-woon paid homage to classic indie horror films like "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" as he forged his own territory.

Besides moving the story to the United States, there is no word on how else Barrett and Wingard, who worked together on the films "A Horrible Way to Die," "V/H/S" and "You're Next," will change the film.

The film will be produced by Snoot Entertainment, who made "The Guest" and "You're Next."