Park Chan-wook Set to Start Shooting Next Movie ‘Decision to Leave’
Celebrated Korean director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden”) will start production later this month on Korean-language drama film “Decision to Leave.” The cast is headed by China’s Tang Wei (“Lust, Caution,” “Black Hat”) and Korean actor Park Hye-il (“The Host,” “Memories of Murder”).
The picture is produced by Moho Film and counts CJ Entertainment as its principal financial backer. CJ is also set as the distributor in its Korean home market. A decision on international sales representative has not yet been settled.
The story involves a diligent and serious detective (Park Hye-il) who is investigating a possible murder case in the mountainous countryside. He begins to suspect the man’s widow (Tang), whom he also develops romantic feelings for.
The script was co-written by Park and frequent collaborators Jeong Seo-kyeong. The pair have previously co-scripted Park’s 2006 effort “I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK,” 2009 horror adaptation “Thirst” and erotic thriller “The Handmaiden,” which appeared in competition in Cannes in 2016.
Park’s latest work was “Little Drummer Girl,” a six-episode AMC/BBC drama that aired in 2018 and was adapted from the eponymous 1983 John Le Carré novel.
Other cast members include Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo and Park Yong-woo. Lee previously starred in “Night Fishing,” the director’s 2011 horror short.
“Decision to Leave” principal Tang was briefly banned by Chinese authorities for her role in Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution,” which was considered scandalously erotic, but was celebrated overseas. Korean entertainment content currently remains the subject of an unofficial ban in China, but this isn’t the first Korean film in which Tang has appeared. She is married to Korean director Kim Tae-yong, and starred in his 2010 remake “Late Autumn.”
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