Don Lee to Produce and Star in ‘The Club’ Korean Series Adaptation
Korean-American star Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok), star of the upcoming Marvel film “The Eternals” will produce and star in “The Club,” an action series derived from South Korean scripted format “The Trap.”
The production brings together Gorilla 8 Productions, a company owned by Don Lee and B&C Content’s Chris S. Lee, and U.S.-based Starlings Television. No broadcaster or streaming partner has been announced.
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Starlings Television president Chris Philip and Starlings Entertainment CEO Karine Martin, who set up the project and take executive producer credits, have attached Jack LoGiudice (“Sons of Anarchy,” “The Walking Dead,” “Narcos”) as showrunner.
The series pitches Lee as a veteran detective investigating a mysterious group of hunters who have attacked a famous news anchor and his family while on a camping trip. The detective, who lost his own son in a hit-and-run, finds himself mired in a twisted mystery orchestrated by an elite and powerful group with disturbing appetites. He slowly learns that nothing is as it seems and there are killers hiding in plain sight.
The original CJ ENM-owned series “Trap” played as seven hour-long episodes, produced by Film Monster for Korea’s OCN in 2019. Eccho Rights distributes the scripted format internationally.
Lee is a former boxer and bodybuilder who was born in Korea, raised in the U.S. and returned to Korea to appear in more than 80 films where he has a cult following. He is also known for “The Outlaws,” significant roles in the “Along With The Gods” hit film pair, and “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil.” Internationally, he may be best known for his starring role in breakout zombie horror film “Train to Busan.”
Starlings TV has a slate that includes second-season renewal order for The CW’s “Pandora”; the murder mystery “Sherlock’s Daughter”; and “Alexander the Great,” a collaboration with Ben Silverman/Propagate, IP-owner G5 Fiction; and female-driven drama series “Veil” with international partners Nordic Entertainment (NENT) Group, Herbert Kloiber’s Night Train Media and Canada’s Mediabiz International.
” ‘The Club’ will bring U.S. and global audiences a premium, serialized drama series showcasing one of the high-profile stars of this year’s most highly anticipated superhero films,” said Starlings’ Philip. “Korean drama is delightfully shocking and our team will ensure this adaptation delivers the authenticity.”
B&C Content has a roster of leading writers, actors and directors including: Steven Yeun (“Burning,” “Minari”), John Cho (“Searching,” “Cowboy Bebop”), directors Kim Seong-Hun (“Kingdom,” “A Hard Day”), Yeon Sang-ho (“Train to Busan,” “Peninsula”), Park Hoon-Jung (“New World,” “The Witch”) and Ryoo Seung-wan (“Veteran” “Crying Fist”). Lee and Chris S. Lee are also actively producing a slate of global film, TV and animation projects under the Gorilla 8 Productions banner.
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