Lee Byung-hun is reuniting with โSquid Gameโ creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on sci-fi thriller โK.O. Club,โ the directorโs first feature film in nearly a decade.
Firstman Studio, the production company Hwang runs with producer Kim Ji-yeon, confirmed the casting, with filming targeted for the first half of 2027.
Lee, who played the Front Man across the โSquid Gameโ franchise, headlines a lineup that also includes fellow franchise alum Park Hae-soo. Rounding out the ensemble are Oh Jung-se (โItโs Okay to Not Be Okayโ), Cho Yeo-jeong (โParasiteโ) and Kim So-jin (โThe Man Standing Nextโ), each working with Hwang for the first time.
The film centers on a near-future in which wealth can buy biological youth, pitting an aging elite that hoards money and power against a younger generation locked out of both. โK.O. Clubโ is shorthand for โKilling Oldmen Club,โ a title that spells out the class war at the storyโs core.
Firstman Studio built its reputation carrying โSquid Gameโ to a global audience and has since branched into television with the series โAffairs Not the Only Secret.โ โK.O. Clubโ represents the companyโs return to feature production alongside its founder.
Hwang last released a theatrical film in 2017 with the historical drama โThe Fortress,โ following earlier credits including comedy โMiss Grannyโ and drama โSilenced.โ He became the first Asian director honored with a directing Emmy for a foreign-language series on the strength of โSquid Game.โ
Leeโs recent credits include Park Chan-wookโs โNo Other Choiceโ and the Go drama โThe Match.โ
โSquid Gameโ ran for three seasons on Netflix and became one of the platformโs most-watched series worldwide, cementing Hwang as one of Korean entertainmentโs most closely watched exports heading into his return to the big screen.
About The Author
