John Woo in talks to direct <i>Spy Hunter</i> movie

The Hollywood Reporter reported that famed Hong Kong director John Woo is to direct Spy Hunter, the years-in-development adaptation of the classic Midway arcade game. According to the article, Woo has been in negotiations with Universal Pictures for some time and he is currently very close to a deal.

Although Woo would bring new blood to the Spy Hunter movie, the project has had a star attached for quite some time. Dwayne Johnson--aka "The Rock"--will star as Alec Sects, an ex-fighter pilot recruited to join a secret government unit called the "Spy Hunters." As one would expect, the Spy Hunters are equipped with experimental super-cars tricked out with all sorts of high-tech weaponry and state-of-the-art countermeasures.

Currently, Spy Hunter the movie is set for a tentative 2005 release date. Midway is also planning a game based on the film which will be released concurrently.

Ironically, if he signs onto Spy Hunter, Woo would likely have to put off plans for his movie based on another classic video game series. Lionrock, Woo's production company, optioned the film rights to Nintendo's Metroid series just last month.