For Our Sins, D-WAR 2 Is Going into Production

It's with a heavy heart that I report Shim Hyung-rae will start filming a sequel to his much-maligned 2007 CGI dragon action film D-War. Following casting, the film, called, D-War: Mystery of the Dragon, is set to go into production in May. The story will this time take place in 1969, as the US and Russia race for the first moon landing during the Cold War.

The original performed well in Korea, earning $55 million from 7.86 million admissions, and brought in $75 million overall but reportedly the film went well over budget in the post-production stage and wound up costing about that much to make. The budget has been set at $20 million this time around, with financing coming from China, where the film will also partly be shot.

Given the significant losses of D-War and his harmless but misguided 2010 US gangster comedy The Last Godfather (starring Harvey Keitel), not to mention years of legal troubles relating to fraud and embezzlement, I'm not sure if I'm more shocked or impressed that he's managed to convince someone to fund his latest folly.