One of the biggest cinematographers in Korean cinema is gearing up for his directorial debut. Lee Mo-gae, who shot "Squid Game" and "I Saw the Devil", will direct another big name, Lee Byung-hun ("I Saw the Devil", "Squid Game").
Titled "Nambeol", the South Korean project is billed as a fictitious period action movie set during the Joseon dynasty, and revolves around a rescue operation undertaken by nine warriors belonging to different social classes. The mission requires them to travel to the island of Tsushima to rescue Korean hostages held by Japanese pirates. The tone is expected to be hard-boiled and gritty with raw, realistic combat.
Byung-hun will essay Im Eok, the stoic leader of the team. The project sees a reunion between the actor and the production house Hive Media Corp ("Inside Men", "The Man Standing Next").
The team is currently in pre-production, with filming planned to commence in the second half of 2026.
A veteran cinematographer, Lee Mo-gae is known for his visually striking work in numerous South Korean films across different genres, such as "12.12: The Day", "Asura: The City of Madness", "The Age of Shadows", "A Tale of Two Sisters", and "The Good, the Bad, the Weird". Several films in his oeuvre continue to be discussed even today, "I Saw the Devil" being an example.
Hive Media Corp has produced several box office hits, including "12.12: The Day", "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum", and "Deliver Us from Evil". They also produced the Disney+ spy thriller series "Made in Korea", from director Woo Min-ho ("Inside Men", "The Man Standing Next").
Speaking of spy thriller series, Lee Byung-hun is also working on a big-budget enterprise for Disney+ titled "The Koreans", which is said to be an adaptation of "The Americans", set in the early 1990s.
Lee Byung-hun was last seen in "No Other Choice", the darkly comic thriller from acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook.