Warner Bros. buys rights for Hong Kong film on which Scorsese's 'The Departed' is based

Warner Bros. remade the Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs" into the Oscar-winning movie "The Departed." Now it wants to try the formula again.

Photo: Warner Bros. buys rights for Hong Kong film on which Scorsese's 'The Departed' is based

The U.S. movie outfit hopes it may produce another hit by buying the rights to another film made by the same creative team behind "Infernal Affairs," and hiring Leonardo DiCaprio's company to shoot the Hollywood version.

Warner Bros. spokeswoman Andrea Marozas and spokeswoman Emily Wong for Hong Kong's Media Asia film company confirmed the deal for the rights to the 2006 film "Confession of Pain."

They did not say how much the rights cost.

"Confession of Pain" starring Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro is about a Hong Kong police officer who avenges the murder of his family after marrying the killer's daughter and earning his trust.

Like "Infernal Affairs," "Confession of Pain" was directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and written by Felix Chong.

Hollywood producer Roy Lee said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Warner Bros. has hired him and DiCaprio's production company to shoot the "Confession of Pain" remake.

It was not immediately clear if DiCaprio, who starred in "The Departed," will also star in the U.S. version of "Confession of Pain."

Lee said William Monahan, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for "The Departed," will also write the remake of "Confession of Pain."

He said producers have not decided on a director.

Leung, who also starred in "Infernal Affairs," said he was delighted by the two remakes.

"I'm very happy, very honored that Hong Kong has this kind of talent," he said at a news conference to promote a coming film market.

In mainland China, "Confession of Pain" made 70 million Chinese yuan (US$9 million; EUR6.8 million) a solid showing by Chinese standards and another 20 million Hong Kong dollars (US$2.6 million; EUR2 million) in Hong Kong, reports AP.

"The Departed," with other stars Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon, also won best editing, best picture and best director for Martin Scorsese in Oscars results announced Sunday.

Oscars organizers say that of all the films that won four or more Oscars in the competition's history, "The Departed" is the only one based on a foreign film.