Entertenment News | Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona to Star in 'Shoplifters' Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korean Debut

Los Angeles, Aug 26 (PTI) Palm d'Or winning Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is set to make his Korean language directorial debut with "Baby, Box, Broker", fronted by Song Kang-ho, the star of multiple Oscar winner "Parasite".

The cast also includes "Cloud Atlas" star Bae Doona, Song's co-star from "The Host" and "Sympathy for Mr Vengeance", and Gang Dong-won, whose recently released "Peninsula" has emerged a major draw at the box office amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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According to Variety, the film takes as its starting point boxes that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies.

Kore-eda said he is looking forward to working with Song, Gang and Bae, who starred in his 2009 film "Air Doll", in the film.

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"'Broker' is a story about baby boxes. Right now, working on the script that will move these three great actors, I am so excited. In order to share this excitement with you all, I hope to create a thrilling, heartwarming, and emotional film. This film, like my latest film (French-language 'The Truth'), will be one where I am apart from my home country and native language.

"What will I be able to express and share as we overcome barriers of language and culture? What does it mean to be a director? I hope to explore those questions through this project," he said.

Kore-eda, who is currently completing the film's screenplay, said it was their mutual desire to collaborate that led to the fruition of the project.

"As always, it all began with the actors. I first met Song Kang-ho at the Busan International Film Festival and Kang Dong Won when he was in Tokyo for work. I have continued to stay in contact with the two actors in Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, and Cannes. At first, we simply exchanged greetings, but as we continued to share conversations, it naturally led to us talking about working on a film together.

"I worked with Bae Doona in 2009, and I thought to myself, 'I hope we work together again, next time as a human character,' and that dream has finally come true over 10 years later. And now I will be working on a film with crew members and Korean actors I greatly respect," he added.

Producer Eugene Lee said "Baby, Box, Broker" is an out-and-out Korean film.

"It's Korean movie with Korean actors, Korean staff, being shot in the Korean language. It will shoot in Korea also," added Lee.

Zip Cinema is producing with CJ Entertainment, the company which distributed "Parasite" in South Korea, is investing, handling local distribution and international sales.

The makers are hoping to start production in 2021. PTI

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