Forgot password

Yoon Je-kyoon (provided by CJ ENM)

When Korean directors go to Hollywood, a familiar trajectory tends to come to mind: Bong Joon-ho's Academy sweep with Parasite followed by a partnership with Warner Bros.; Park Chan-wook parlaying the prestige of Oldboy into Stoker. Call it the arthouse route. Yoon Je-kyoon — the director behind Tidal Wave and Ode to My Father, both of which surpassed ten million admissions — is now attempting to board that same train, but with taekwondo as his ticket. Trade outlet Variety and others have reported that Yoon will make his Hollywood entry with the film Belladonna.

Unveiled at Hong Kong FilMart on March 17, Belladonna is set to become Yoon's first English-language directorial work. The film follows a former contract killer who has rebuilt her life running a flower shop in Seoul, only to be dragged back into the world she thought she had left behind when a figure from her past resurfaces. The lead role has been cast with Taemi (Kim Gyeong-suk), an actress and former national taekwondo team athlete who holds a world championship title.

Central to the project is its production structure. Yoon will direct and produce through JK Film, operating under the CJ ENM banner. Co-producing alongside him are An Chang-bum, CEO of K-Tigers — one of the world's leading taekwondo demonstration outfits — and veteran action producer Mike Leeder, whose credits include Rush Hour 3 and the Ip Man franchise. The film's soundtrack will be crafted by producers who have worked with BLACKPINK, BTS, and on the KPop Demon Hunters OST. The project is built around three pillars: taekwondo action, K-pop, and Yoon's directorial voice.

Belladonna is a case study in the diversification of how Korean directors make their move to Hollywood. "The global success of K-pop has opened the door for us to introduce K-Kick Cinema to the world," Yoon has said. The film's production model also reflects the broader shift among Korean filmmakers toward varied international collaboration — a shift driven in part by the structural contraction of the domestic theatrical market, which failed to produce a single ten-million-admission film in 2025. For the Korean film industry, overseas expansion has become a core survival strategy.

According to Yoon, Belladonna is currently in development, with filming slated to begin this summer. Whether taekwondo can carve out a distinct cinematic identity from already-established martial arts such as kung fu and Muay Thai, and whether Yoon's declaration of "K-Kick Cinema" will coalesce into a genuine genre — the trajectory of Belladonna warrants close attention.

Sources

• Hankook Ilbo, "Director Yoon Je-kyoon Eyes Hollywood Beyond Ten Million Mark: 'Still in Development Stage'", 2026.03.20

• Variety, "K-Pop Martial Arts Thriller 'Belladonna' Sets Taekwondo World Champion Taemi for English-Language Debut (EXCLUSIVE)", 2026.03.17

• SBS News, "Ode to My Father Director Yoon Je-kyoon Heads to Hollywood with Taekwondo Action Film; Taemi to Star", 2026.03.18 

• News1, "Ode to My Father Director Yoon Je-kyoon to Make Hollywood Move — Directs Taekwondo Film Belladonna Starring Taemi", 2026.03.18