Park Chan-wook has kicked off production on his next feature, tentatively titled “The Ax” (literaly Korean title “I Can’t Help It”) with megastars Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin in the lead.
Based on “The Ax” by Donald E. Westlake, which has also had a French film adaptation so far, the tragic-comic thriller will follow Yoo Man-soo, a salaried man who loses his job under an envious boss and goes to extreme measure to provide for his family. Lee will play Man-soo while Son Ye-jin will portray his devoted wife Mi-ri, who must step up for her husband and her family.
This will of course be the third collaboration between Park and Lee, with the actor having previously worked in the prolific director’s breakout early feature “JSA: Joint Securiry Area” as well as his segment “Box” in the horror anthology “Three… Extremes”. While this will be the first time Son Ye-jin works directly with director Park Chan-wook, she did feature in the leading role in “The Truth Beneath”, which was co-written by him. This will also be the first time the two beloved actors will work with each other.
The confirmed starcast also comprises of big names such as Park Hee-soon (“The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion), Lee Sung-min (“The Spy Gone North”), Yeom Hye-ran (“Innocent Witness”), Cha Seung-won (“Night in Paradise”) and Yoo Yeon-seok, who actually played the younger version of Woo-jin in “Oldboy”.
”The Ax” goes on the floors on August 17th, 2024. More news will most likely follow imminently.
