Koo Kyo-hwan, who was active in both theaters and OTT (online video service) last year with ‘The Escape’ and ‘Parasyte: The Gray’, is taking over the screens this year by starring in no fewer than four films. He plans to present leading roles in a variety of genres one after another, to the point that the term ‘film industry recession’ will become meaningless.

The film that has garnered the most anticipation and curiosity is ‘Finding the King’. It is a mega SF blockbuster that is said to have had a production cost of 30 billion won, and it depicts the adventures of the villagers who welcome a giant unidentified guest who visits their demilitarized zone village in the summer of 1980. Koo Kyo-hwan takes on the role of Do-jin, a doctor at a public health center who is dispatched to the DMZ Punchbowl and experiences something special, and is the ‘1st lead’.

Above all, this film is drawing attention as it is advertised as ‘the first Korean live-action giant robot film’. Director Won Shin-yeon, who had expressed his desire to make a live-action version of the legendary domestic robot cartoon ‘Robot Taekwon V’, is taking the megaphone, drawing the attention of fans of the robot genre.
Koo Kyo-hwan, who made his debut in commercial films after being active in the independent film industry, has mainly appeared in genre films and will also present his first melodrama ‘Us in the Distant Future’ this year. This is a remake of the 2018 Chinese film of the same name, and it tells the story of a couple who had a heartbreaking breakup due to the wall of reality, but who reunite years later as if by fate and look back on the past and recall memories.

‘Resurrection Man’, which is expected to be a new Korean-style action hero film, is also scheduled to be released in theaters within the year. It is a film that brings to the screen the story of a man who is resurrected three days after his death and is reborn as a superhero.

In particular, this film is drawing attention as the first in the ‘New Human War Series’, which depicts a war fought by those created through secret research against the new human race. Lotte Entertainment and production company Yong Film plan to expand the worldview by continuously presenting the ‘New Human War Series’, which features new superhero characters.

‘Heavy Snow’, a thriller set in a remote train station covered in heavy snow, is also preparing for release. It depicts the story of a fired stationmaster who hears news that dozens of prisoners have escaped while waiting for a successor and encounters a young man who claims to be his successor. Koo Kyo-hwan plays the young man who claims to be his successor and acts with Kim Yoon-seok, the fired stationmaster.

In addition to the release, he is also busy filming new works, including the zombie film ‘Grove’, directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who created ‘Train to Busan’. Recently, he has also decided to appear in a drama adaptation of the film ‘Insiders’, which attracted over 7 million viewers in 2015.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com