Korean Better Tomorrow Remake Casts its Leads

It was back in 2006 when we first (rather jokingly) reported about the possibility of a Korean remake for John Woo's 1986 classic 英雄本色 (A Better Tomorrow), after producers Fingerprint bought the remake rights at Cannes. And what do you know, a few years pass, and in complete remake frenzy we get this one as well. The film, which will be entitled 무적자 (Invincible, literally), is a 10 billion won production which will be directed by Song Hae-Sung of 파이란 (Failan) and 우리들의 행복한 시간 (Maundy Thursday), and according to recent media reports, will star Korean Wave mainstay Song Seung-Heon and Lee Min-Gi, whose success in 해운대 (Haeundae) elevated his popularity to new heights.

Of course we're dealing with a slightly different story, and only a basic setup taken from the original: this time it is North Korean defectors infiltrating the underworld, sign that we might be once again dealing with the two biggest cash cows in early 2000s Korean cinema, the divide and gangsters. Song, who will play the equivalent of Chow Yun-Fat's role, is a big name in Asia ever since 2000 and his leading role in Yoon Seok-Ho's syrupy melodrama 가을동화 (Autumn Fairy Tale), and although Lee Min-Gi is a rather peculiar choice (especially when you consider he'll be playing Leslie Cheung's same role), he's certainly not a bad actor. Director Song made a name for himself with the gritty Failan, but the acting (Choi Min-Shik, Son Byung-Ho and Kim Ji-Young on top) pretty much carried that film, the same thing you could say for his latest efforts like 역도산 (Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary) and Maundy Thursday. His dry, methodical style makes him a rather curious choice for what is likely to become a bombastic actioner and a throwback to HK noir films of yore, but we'll see.

The film will shoot on location in Thailand, and because of Song's (the actor) involvement, will be partially funded from Japanese investors. After completing its cast, it will start shooting early next year, for a release in 2010.

[Sports Korea] [NewsEn] [Star News]