Movies
Uni Sinks Their Teeth Into Park Chan-wook’s ‘Thirst’
One of my favorite directors is Park Chan-wook, who blew my mind with his trilogy of OLDBOY, SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. It was revealed about a year ago that his next feature will be a vampire tale entitled Thirst, which is currently in production. Today some great news comes in via the trades as it was reported that both Universal Pictures and Focus Features have come onboard to distribute the film here in the States (no wait, woo!). Read on for the story.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features have boarded “Oldboy” director Park Chan-wook’s in-production vampire movie “Thirst.”
It’s the first time a Korean film has received U.S. studio coin and a Stateside distribution commitment before its local release.
Universal and Focus will invest in and co-produce the pic, which has so far been steered by Korean major CJ Entertainment.
Focus will bow the film in North America with CJ handling the remaining international sales rights. CJ also will distribute the film in South Korea.
The deal was announced Thursday by UPI Studio prexy Christian Grass, Focus CEO James Schamus and CJ CEO Kim Joo-sung.
“Thirst” stars Song Kang-ho (“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “The Host,” “The Good the Bad and the Weird”) and Shin Ha-kyun (“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance”). Involving unusually risqué elements, pic also stars Kim Ok-bi (“Dasepo Naughty Girls,”) as leading lady.
The pic is about a priest who participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease with traumatic repercussions.
It is skedded to be completed in time for a festival bow in mid-2009.
“ ‘Thirst’ is especially exciting for us, as it’s the first time a major studio has co-produced with a South Korean entertainment company in this way,” said Grass. “Park Chan-wook is one of the most talented and influential Korean directors working today. We’re really pleased to be partnering with CJ on this production.”
“First, this is a vote of confidence in CJ and director Park, but also having a film of this scale get the backing of a major studio in North America opens up an opportunity for all Korean films,” said Katharine Kim, exec VP and head of international at CJ. “Second, it is important to us to have Universal and Focus’ financial commitment while the film is in production.”
Park is best known for “Old Boy,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes in 2003 and 2005 hit “Lady Vengeance,” both of which sold internationally after their domestic release.
The co-production is being overseen by Grass; Jason Resnick, senior VP and general manager of worldwide acquisitions for Universal Pictures; and CJ’s Kim.
Fede Alvarez’s (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) Alien: Romulus will be unleashed in theaters nationwide on August 16, and Entertainment Weekly brings us two new images today.
The first image you’ll find below gives us another fresh look at the film’s Xenomorph, with Alvarez promising the outlet that it’s the most H.R. Giger-faithful Xenomorph of them all.
Entertainment Weekly writes, “… Alvarez promises [the Xenomorph’s design] is closer to H.R. Giger’s original creation than any other iteration.” The late H.R. Giger was of course integral to Ridley Scott’s Alien, designing the iconic monster the franchise is centered on.
The other image you’ll find below gives us a look at two of the human characters from Alien: Romulus, Archie Renaux’s Tyler and Cailee Spaeny’s heroine Rain Carradine.
Head over to Entertainment Weekly for their full preview of the upcoming film.
Here’s the full official plot synopsis for Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus, which comes in the wake of Disney reviving the Predator franchise in spectacular fashion with last year’s Prey…
“While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”
Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy, Pacific Rim Uprising) leads the cast alongside Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu.
Alien: Romulus takes place in between the first two films. It’s been described as “an original standalone feature,” one that “will focus on a group of young people on a distant world.”
Fede Alvarez co-wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues (Evil Dead). Ridley Scott is on board as producer for the film, the first movie in the franchise to be released by Disney.
Xenomorph in ‘Alien: Romulus’. 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
(L-R): Archie Renaux as Tyler and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in ‘Alien: Romulus.’. 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
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