REUNITING THE DEAR DEPARTED: WB TO REMAKE 'CHASER' WITH MONAHAN IN TALKS TO WRITE, DICAPRIO CIRCLING LEAD (VAR, THR)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

Warner Bros. has picked up remake rights to South Korean hit �The Chaser.� Early discussions are underway for William Monahan to write the script, with Leonardo DiCaprio circling to star, but no deals have yet been set. Given those factors, the project, says Variety, is already taking on the aura of the studio�s last major Asian remake hit, �The Departed.�

The lead role would see DiCaprio play an ex-cop who goes on the warpath trying to find a missing girl. The girl, who may or may not be alive, is being used by a serial killer to taunt the police.

Dan Lin, Doug Davison, Roy Lee and Monahan � whose script won an Oscar for �The Departed� - will be producers, with DiCaprio possibly ending up in some producing capacity as well.

Studio bought the project from Na Hong-jin, in a deal that was announced in Seoul on Thursday paying $1 million plus various incentives based on the remake�s box office performance.

The mid-budget thriller, based loosely on the exploits of a real-life serial killer, has earned more than $20 million in 20 days of local release.

Monahan and DiCaprio just worked together on �Body of Lies,� the Ridley Scott-directed WB thriller that also stars Russell Crowe.