Edited by Hong Hyun Jung
Translated by Esther Lee
Many films are expected to be released in theaters in 2022, as numerous premieres were postponed last year due to COVID-19. Movies with famous directors and popular actors such as Park Chan Wook‘s Decision to Leave, which is expected to be seen at the Cannes Film Festival, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Broker are set to premiere this year. Without further ado, allow me to introduce ten upcoming films carefully handpicked by ZAPZEE.
1. Hunt (working title)
Hunt follows National Intelligence Service agents who face a tremendous discovery as they pursue the leader of North Korean spies.
Hunt is Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae‘s director debut and is garnering attention as this is the first time in 22 years that industry well-known best friends Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung are collaborating after co-starring in City of The Rising Sun (1998). Lee Jung Jae stars as the 13-year veteran National Intelligence Service Team 1 leader Park Pyung Ho and Jung Woo Sung as his rival, Team 2 leader Kim Jung Do.
2. The Moon (working title)
The Moon is about a man left alone in space and a man on Earth desperately trying to save him.
Kim Young Hwa, who directed the record-breaking box office hit fantasy movie Along with the Gods, is now attempting a space-themed film. With its spectacular visuals of the moon, the film is expected to be worth watching. Do Kyung So stars as the man who is trapped in space due to an unexpected accident, with Sul Kyung Gu as the man who tries to save him, and Kim Hee Ae as the NASA general director who holds an important key to the success of this mission.
Bogota: City of the Lost is set in Bogota, Columbia, that tells the stories of a group of people who make a risky deal in order to survive.
Song Joong Ki stars as the main character Guk Hee, who has had a rocky life, arriving in Bogota penniless at the age of 19 and eventually building his own empire starting from the ground up. This film will portray the vicious stories surrounding Bogota’s business districts.
4. Confidential Assignment 2: International
Hyun Bin returns in Confidential Assignment 2: International as Im Chul Ryung, a North Korean detective sent to South Korea on a new mission. As this is his second visit to South Korea, Im Chul Ryung appears to be much more at ease, displaying chemistry with his partner Jin Tae (Yoo Hae Jin) as they fight a powerful organization. Daniel Henney and Jin Seon Kyu have recently been cast for this upcoming movie as well. Daniel Henney stars as an FBI agent who pursuits a North Korean crime organization involved in international crimes and Jin Seon Kyu as the leader of the North Korean organization.
5. The Roundup
Well-known action star Don Lee, who recently made his Hollywood debut in the Marvel cinematic universe as Gilgamesh, will return to the Korean film industry in a crime action movie as detective Ma Seok Do. Last November, the movie trailer teased at detective Ma Seok Do’s satisfying comebacks and a compelling plot. Son Seok Gu has been newly cast as the villain of this movie.
6. Silence (working title)
Silence tells the story of people trapped on a bridge on the verge of collapsing in a thick fog, struggling to survive as they face unexpected dangers.
Silence depicts people’s struggles as they are suddenly thrust into an uncontrollable catastrophic environment. Lee Sun Kyun stars as Cha Jung Won, who is stuck on the bridge with his daughter while Ju Ji Hoon plays Joe Park, a tow truck driver roaming the streets for a job.
7. Alien (working title)
Alien tells an extraordinary story centered around a time portal that appears between the Goryeo Era when swordsmen attempt to locate and take possession of a rumored mysterious sword, and the present-day year 2021 when aliens exist on Earth.
This is Choi Dong Hoon‘s, the director of The Thieves (2012) and Assassination (2015), new attempt at the science fantasy genre. Alien is a two-part film that combines the encounter of alien life with human life as well as the combination of the Goryeo times with the present. It boasts a star-studded cast with Kim Woo Bin, Ryu Jun Yeol, Kim Tae Ri, So Ji Sub, Lee Hanee, and more.
Concrete Utopia is centered around the survivors of a massive earthquake that destroyed Seoul as they gather at the sole surviving building, Hwanggoong Apartment.
Concrete Utopia is a film adaptation of Kim Sung Nik’s webtoon which depicts how human nature changes when people are faced with a catastrophe. Lee Byung Hun plays the temporary apartment resident representative while Park Seo Joon and Park Bo Young star as a survivor couple. Uniquely, the movie has been expanding its cinematic universe even before its premiere. It is currently in mid-production of the drama Concrete Market, which is set in the same cinematic universe, and it has been reported that Don Lee has been cast to star in a film set years after the events of after Concrete Utopia.
9. High Five (working title)
High Five tells the story of five people who unexpectedly develop superpowers after receiving organ transplants and have to fight those who desire their powers.
Kang Hyung Chul, who was recognized for his original production with Sunny (2011) and Swing Kids (2018), presents an unnatural superpower narrative with High Five. Yoo Ah In stars as unemployed bachelor Gi Dong, Lee Jae In as taekwondo lover Wan Seo, Ahn Jae Hong as aspiring writer Ji Sung, Ra Mi Ran as yakult manager Sun Nyeo, and Kim Hee Won as factory manager Yak Sun.
10. Ghost (working title)
Ghost is set in 1993 Gyeongsung and is about five suspects, who are under suspicion of being the Japanese resistance organization spy nicknamed Ghost, being trapped in a remote hotel. The film depicts their struggles to overcome their suspicions and doubts of each other in order to safely escape.
Ghost is a spy movie with an intriguing plot about identifying the spy who infiltrated the Japanese colonial government. Sul Kyung Gu, Lee Hanee, Park So Dam, Kim Dong Hee, and Seo Hyun Woo star as the five suspects while Park Hae Soo plays the security head agent who leads the investigation into the spy’s identity.
Edited Hong Hyun Jung: I am a K-content guide who publishes various articles for people to enjoy Korean movies and dramas deeper and richer. I’ll introduce you to the works that you can laugh, cry and sympathize with.
Translator Esther Lee: I’ll be providing you with up-to-date, reliable Korean entertainment news. Enjoy!
