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2 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE: Hong Won-ki (Goedam) has been tapped to direct Unnie, a K-pop thriller for the new genre label Badlands.
Based on the 2023 Black List script from Lynn Q. Yu, the film is billed as a thriller in the vein of Black Swan, set against the competitive world of K-pop. Casting is underway and production is slated to begin in Seoul and Los Angeles this January. Badlands’ Scott Strauss, Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Renegade Capital’s Andrew Schwartzberg and Jon Shiffman, and Desert Bloom’s Jennice Lee will produce, with popular K-pop artists Sunshine and Moonshine creating an original soundtrack for the film.
Stated Badlands’ Strauss, “After meeting the Zanybros in Korea, it became clear they are uniquely plugged into the K-pop world and will deliver on the authenticity its fans demand. Director Hong’s eye-popping videos and passion for genre make him the only choice for our film.”
Hong is known for work on titles like Connecting, Urban Myths, and Netflix’s Goedam, horror anthologies based on popular Korean urban legends that feature current and former K-pop idols. He and videographer Kim Jun-hong are behind Zanybros, the #1 music video production company in South Korea. Having shot over 1500 videos, they’re responsible for a lion’s share of the visuals that have turned K-pop into a global phenomenon.
Badlands is a partnership between Iwanyk and Lee’s Thunder Road and former longtime Screen Gems executive Strauss. Backed by Schwartzberg and Shiffman’s Renegade Capital, the company’s first feature Arachnid, directed by Angel Gomez and starring Matilda Lutz, starts production this month.
Founded by Iwanyk, and run with his partner Lee, Thunder Road Pictures is the independent film company behind the John Wick and Sicario franchises. Recent Thunder Road projects include Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, John Wick: Chapter 4, and John Wick prequel spin-off series The Continental: From the World of John Wick. Upcoming projects include Wick spin-off Ballerina, directed by Len Wiseman and starring Ana de Armas, and Ric Waugh’s Greenland: Migration starring Gerard Butler.
Hong and his Zanybros are represented by IAG and Magnolia Entertainment. Yu is repped by Verve and Code Entertainment. Thunder Road and Badlands are repped by CAA Media Finance.
