Park Chan-wook to produce period thriller for Netflix in Seoul

South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave) will produce and co-write period thriller War And Revolt for Netflix.

It will be produced by Park’s Seoul-based Moho Film, home to the acclaimed films The Handmaiden and Snowpiercer, in collaboration with Semicolon Studio.

Set more than 400 years ago during Korea’s Joseon dynasty against a backdrop of war, the story follows two childhood friends turned adversaries.

War and Revolt will be directed by Kim Sang-man (Midnight FM) and stars Gang Dong-won (Broker), Park Jeong-min (Deliver Us From Evil and Decision To Leave). 

Gang will play Cheon-young, a character whose martial prowess defies his humble origins as a slave.

Park stars as Jong-ryeo, Cheon-young’s former master and a descendant of Joseon’s most influential military family. After passing the military service exam, Jong-ryeo becomes the personal guard to the king, leading to a reunion with his former friend.

Other cast members include Cha Seung-won as King Seonjo, a monarch who abandons his people at the onset of the Japanese invasion, only to seek redemption by restoring his royal authority after the war; Kim Shin-rock (Hellbound); Jin Seon-kyu and Jung Sung-ill (The Glory).

Netflix has helped increase the international popularity of Korea's films and series through partnerships with the local content industry.

Their hit Squid Game was Netflix's most popular series of all time with more than 1.6 billion hours watched.

In April, the streamer committed to invest $2.5bn in South Korea over the next four years, twice the total amount Netflix has invested in the country since launching its service in Korea in 2016.