Record-breaking box office hit brings A-list voices to animated biblical epic

Actor Lee Byung-hun will lend his voice to Charles Dickens in the Korean dubbing of "The King of Kings," joining a star-studded cast for the animated film that has become the highest-grossing Korean production in US box office history.

Thursday's cast announcement by Mofac Studio revealed Jin Sun-kyu as Jesus, Lee Ha-nee as Catherine Dickens alongside Lee and Yang Dong-geun as Peter. Veteran actors Cha In-pyo (Pontius Pilate), Kwon Oh-joong (King Herod), and Jang Gwang (High Priest Caiaphas) round out the ensemble.

The film follows Dickens and his son Walter exploring the life of Christ, based on the author's posthumously published work "The Life of Our Lord." Written and directed by Jang Seong-ho, the production had already turned heads with its A-list Hollywood voice cast featuring Pierce Brosnan, Oscar Isaac and Kenneth Branagh.

The animated feature has emerged as an unexpected box office phenomenon since its April 11 release. It claimed second place in its opening week with $19.4 million, trailing only "A Minecraft Movie" while outpacing several major studio releases.

By early June, "The King of Kings" had earned $60.2 million in the US and Canada, with worldwide gross reaching $67 million. It became the highest-grossing Korean film in North American box office history, surpassing "Parasite," which earned $53.8 million following its Oscar sweep in 2020.

"The King of Kings" hits Korean theaters in July.

By Moon Ki-hoon

The Korean Herald (Click)