South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – The U.S. streaming website Netflix has decided to cover all the expenses of “Okja,” an upcoming film by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, his production studio said Tuesday.
Netflix will invest $50 million in the project, which will be co-produced by Plan B Entertainment, an American film production studio co-founded by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, OkjaSPC said in a statement.
In “Okja,” a girl befriends an animal with whom she travels to South Korea and the U.S., the studio said.
“I needed greater budget and freedom for ‘Okja’ than I had with ‘Snowpiercer,’” Bong was quoted as saying. “Netflix has provided me with both, which is an amazing opportunity for a director.”
“Snowpiercer” is a 2013 sci-fi movie based on a French graphic novel of the same name.
Bong added that he hopes the “feisty energy” of Plan B makes it into the mix, too.
“Okja” has already generated much hype after Jake Gyllenhaal and British actress Tilda Swinton got on board earlier this year. OkjaSPC said auditions are under way to fill the role of the girl protagonist.
“Okja” will be filmed in the first half of next year in South Korea and New York for a release in 2017, the studio added.
(Yonhap)
