When Train to Busan hit screens, it was a full-throttle thriller with enough heart to make even the undead tear up. Who knew a zombie apocalypse on rails could serve both chaos and catharsis? So when the name Last Train to New York began echoing through the industry, fans clutched their ticket stubs in fear. Remakes are a gamble, but with James Wan at the helm, this journey might just rewrite the rules.

While fans braced for a déjà boo, James Wan was quietly switching tracks; it turns out this zombie train was never headed where anyone thought.

The undead may be fast, but so is the misinformation. While many assumed Last Train to New York was a straight-up remake of Train to Busan, James Wan hit the brakes. He told Entertainment Weekly it is not a remake at all, labeling it instead as a spinoff unfolding at the same time as the Korean original. Different country, same apocalypse. Less copy-paste, more choose-your-own zombie outbreak, New York style.

James Wan’s vision veers away from imitation and into innovation. “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,” he explained. That creative leap allows for new characters, chaos, and cultural flavor while still honoring Yeon Sang-ho’s brainchild. Basically, imagine World War Z but on parallel tracks, each bullet train full of emotional baggage and biting commentary.

What Is ‘Train to Busan’ on Netflix? Everything to Know About the Korean Zombie Thriller

While James Wan mapped out a fresh outbreak across continents, the studio slammed the brakes because even the undead need to survive Hollywood’s scheduling apocalypse first.

The production was gaining speed, Timo Tjahjanto signed on to direct, Gary Dauberman was writing, and a 2023 release was locked in. Then Warner Bros. pulled the emergency brake. Last Train to New York vanished from the schedule, its spot, handed over to Evil Dead Rise. According to James Wan, as told to Entertainment Weekly, “I'm not quite sure where it sits right now.” Translation? The zombie express is stuck at the platform, ticket punched, but the doors are still closed.

When Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan hit screens in 2016 and recently rolled into Netflix’s treasure trove, it delivered more than just undead mayhem. It was a tightly wound, emotionally charged survival ride that had audiences crying between jump scares and flinching through feelings. That is why many feared an English-language redo. But James Wan’s spinoff aims to expand rather than erase. The idea of a worldwide outbreak, played out in tandem, not in translation, adds fuel to a franchise that could redefine international horror again.

What Is ‘Train to Busan’ on Netflix? Everything to Know About the Korean Zombie Thriller

What are your thoughts on James Wan’s zombie detour with Last Train to New York? Is this the global expansion horror fans needed, or a risky route off-track? Let us know in the comments below.