Ha Jung Woo, Ahn Bo Hyun, Park Hae Jun and Jung Sung Il have been cast in Inside Men: The Birth of Villains (literal title), the upcoming prequel to the 2015 crime thriller Inside Men.
Set in the late 1980s, the film will trace the origins of the powerful network of media, business and political figures at the center of the original movie. The project is being billed as an official prequel exploring how the cartel first came together.
Ha will play Lee Kang Hee, a newspaper reporter who dreams of breaking a major corporate corruption story before being pushed into a dead-end position under outside pressure. His reporting eventually places him at the center of the emerging power structure.
Ha’s credits include Ashfall, The Chaser, Along With the Gods, Assassination, The Terror Live and Netflix’s Narco-Saints.
Ahn will take on the role of Ahn Sang Goo, the younger version of the character played by Lee Byung Hun in Inside Men. Starting from the bottom, Sang Goo runs an entertainment agency while pursuing both success and revenge, putting him in a complicated alliance and rivalry with Lee Kang Hee.
Ahn has appeared in I, the Executioner, Flex X Cop, Spring Fever, See You in My 19th Life and Yumi’s Cells.
Park Hae Jun will play Jang Pil Woo, a former prosecutor who has just entered politics as a first-term lawmaker. The ambitious politician begins making deals with powerful media figures as he works his way toward the center of power.
Jung Sung Il rounds out the main cast as Oh Hyun Soo, the chairman who built Mirae Group through whatever means necessary and now seeks a place at the top of the cartel.
Kim Min Beom, who previously worked as an assistant director on 12.12: The Day and The Flu, will co-direct with Kim Jin Seok, whose credits include assistant directing work on Harbin, The Man Standing Next and Veteran, as well as adapting Disney Plus’ Made in Korea.
Hive Media Corp, the company behind Inside Men, Harbin, The Man Standing Next and 12.12: The Day, will produce alongside SLL.
Inside Men: The Birth of Villains is currently in pre-production and is aiming to begin filming in 2026.
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Source: Hive Media Corp
