South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, internationally recognized for his role in Netflix's hit series 'Squid Game', has signed on to star in a new martial arts action film set during the early Joseon Dynasty. The project, currently titled 'Nambeol', is backed by Hive Media Corp., a renowned South Korean production company.
Described as a hard-boiled martial arts action flick, the film follows nine warriors who journey to Tsushima Island to rescue Korean captives kidnapped by Japanese pirates. Lee Byung-hun, known for his performances in films such as 'I Saw The Devil' and 'No Other Choice', will portray the leader of this group. While the story is not based on specific historical events, it is set during a period when Korea frequently faced raids from Japanese pirates.
'Nambeol' marks the directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Lee Mo-gae, whose extensive credits as director of photography include 'A Tale of Two Sisters', 'Asura: The City of Madness', and 'Exhuma'. He previously collaborated with Lee Byung-hun on the films 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird' and 'I Saw the Devil'.
Currently, Lee Byung-hun is filming the Disney+ series 'The Koreans', a reimagining of the FX series 'The Americans'. His most recent film, Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice', premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and was selected as South Korea's submission for the Academy Awards. Additionally, he recently celebrated a historic Best Actor nomination at the Golden Globes.
