Lee Byung-hun is reuniting with 'Squid Game' creator Hwang Dong-hyuk for the sci-fi thriller 'K.O. Club,' marking the director's first feature film in nearly a decade. Firstman Studio, the production company Hwang runs with producer Kim Ji-yeon, has confirmed the casting, with filming targeted for the first half of 2027.
Lee, who played the Front Man throughout the 'Squid Game' franchise, leads a cast that also includes franchise co-star Park Hae-soo. They are joined by Oh Jung-se ('It's Okay to Not Be Okay'), Cho Yeo-jeong ('Parasite') and Kim So-jin ('The Man Standing Next'), each collaborating with Hwang for the first time.
'K.O. Club' unfolds in a near-future world where wealth can purchase biological youth, setting an aging elite that hoards money and power against a younger generation excluded from both. The title is shorthand for 'Killing Oldmen Club,' underscoring the class conflict driving the story.
Firstman Studio built its name helping carry 'Squid Game' to audiences worldwide and has since expanded into television with the series 'Affairs Not the Only Secret.' 'K.O. Club' marks the company's return to feature filmmaking with its founder at the helm.
Hwang's last theatrical release was the 2017 historical drama 'The Fortress,' following earlier work on the comedy 'Miss Granny' and the drama 'Silenced.' He became the first Asian director to win a directing Emmy for a foreign-language series on the strength of 'Squid Game.'
Lee's recent credits include Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' and the Go drama 'The Match.' 'Squid Game' ran for three seasons on Netflix and became one of the platform's most-watched series worldwide, positioning Hwang as one of Korean entertainment's most closely watched figures as he returns to feature filmmaking.
Photo: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
