Putting end to months of rumours and speculations, it has been confirmed that Korean auteur Park Chan-wook‘s next project will be a melodrama starring Park Hae-il and Chinese actress Tang Wei (“Lust/Caution”).
Park was earlier rumoured to have been developing a “The Brigands of Battlecreek” for Amazon Studios off a S. Craig Zahler script as well as a remake of the Costa-Gavras film “Ax”, it will be this venture into the unchartered territories of the melodrama genre that will end up being his first film since he critically and commercially lauded “The Handmaiden” back in 2016.
The Korean title for the film translates as “The Decision to Break Up“. Of course, with Park being at the helm, one can expect the film to be rather dark and different to the usual Korean melodramas we know and love.
Interestingly, Lee Byung-hun was earlier rumoured to be considering a role in a Park Chan-Work film along with Tang Wei, but it looks like Park Hae-il eventually won out. Whether this was due to scheduling conflicts, Lee Byung-hun refusing or Park deciding to go a different route remains a mystery.
Park Hae-il is currently finishing work on the historical “Hansan”, in which he will be seen playing the legendary admiral Yi Sun-sin. His last film was “The King’s Letter”, opposite Song Kang-ho, while his completed film “To The Land of Happiness” with Choi Min-sik awaits release. Tang Wei, meanwhile, is shooting for her husband Kim Tae-yong’s all-star “Wonderland” alongside Park Bo-gum, Jung Yu-mi, Suzy and Choi Woo-shik. She was last seen in the Chinese film “The Whistleblower” and earned critical acclaim for her work in Bi Gan’s hypnotic “A Long Day’s Journey into Night“.
Production on “The Decision to Break Up” is expected to start later this fall.
