New Titles Romcom LIKE FOR LIKES and Vietnamese Thriller TRACER
Among the most eagerly anticipated Korean films this year is
PARK Chan-wook’s upcoming erotic thriller
The Handmaiden. Starring
HA Jung-woo (
Assassination, 2015) and
KIM Min-hee (
Right Now, Wrong Then, 2015), the story is drawn from Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith and is set both in Korea and Japan during the Japanese Colonial Era. Though the film is still in post-production, select buyers were given a sneak peek in
CJ Entertainment’s booth at the European Film Market. The film is aiming for an early summer release in Korea.
Before that, CJ is preparing to release a number of titles, including the ensemble social media-themed
Like for Likes, featuring the red-hot
YOO Ah-in (
Veteran, 2015), which opens in Korea on February 17th. Coming up in spring will be the youth indie title
One Way Trip, which bowed at the
Busan International Film Festival last October, the fantasy romantic thriller
Time Renegades (working title) with
JO Jung-suk (
My Love, My Bride, 2014) and
LIM Soo-jung (
All About My Wife, 2012), and the action drama
Phantom Detective (working title) from
A Werewolf Boy (2012) director
JO Sung-hee, featuring
LEE Je-hoon in his first post-military service role.
Coming up in summer for the studio will also be the Korean War film
Operation Chromite, which features Liam Neeson playing General MacArthur, alongside local stars
LEE Jung-jae (
Assassination, 2015) and
LEE Beom-su (
The Divine Move, 2014). CJ will release the film in Korea and holds rights for China, Indonesia, Mongolia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, while
FINECUT is representing the film in the rest of the world.
CJ is also preparing to launch a number of international titles. Following the successes of their local language productions
Let Hoi Decide (2014) and the
Miss Granny (2014) remake
Sweet 20, respectively the first and second most successful film in Vietnamese box office history, the company will debut the female-led action-thriller
Tracer in April. In Indonesia, CJ released Joko ANWAR’s
A Copy of My Mind this month, which already screened at the Venice, Toronto and Busan International Film Festivals. Co-produced with Tianjin Century Media Co., Ltd., the Chinese horror-thriller
The Peaceful Island is also being prepared for release this year. The film marks the Chinese debut of
Tell Me Something (1999) director
CHANG Yoon-hyun.