해운대 (Haeundae) Director Tackles Jumanji-like Adventure

See what happens when you throw huge money at directors of dubious talent? Maybe we have our first Korean Michael Bay in the making.

Yoon Je-Gyun's disaster (or, better, disastrous) flick 해운대 (Haeundae) is still in theaters, and although it won't beat the all time record held by Bong Joon-Ho's 괴물 (The Host), it still sold a quite impressive 11+ million tickets. But those who thought Yoon (whose career had been dominated by comedies until his first foray into blockbusters) would just return to his forte... think again. The Busan native had been considering a few different projects, but it seems like the first to be greenlit will be, as he calls it, a "Jumanji-like adventure for the entire family." Titled 템플 스테이 (Temple Stay), the film tells the story of two foreign kids who come to Korea for a (guess what) temple stay, after which all the adventurous shenanigans you can imagine ensue (including Buddhist statues coming to life, since rampaging rhinos cost too much).

Speaking at the PIFF, Yoon commented that he wanted to go through an even bigger challenge than his latest tsunami flick, and of course managed to mention the "our films are just as good as theirs" mantra. Temple Stay will obviously target the International market with a mix of English and Korean dialogue, but this time the CG will be done completely in-house, such as in 괴물2 (The Host 2)'s case. Someone hurry up and tell Yoon about 아 유 레이디 (R. U. Ready), before it's too late. No word on any release date yet.

[Star News]