Lee Byung-hun is reuniting with “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on sci-fi thriller “K.O. Club,” the director’s first feature film in nearly a decade.
Firstman Studio, the production company Hwang runs with producer Kim Ji-yeon, confirmed the casting, with filming targeted for the first half of 2027.
Lee, who played the Front Man across the “Squid Game” franchise, headlines a lineup that also includes fellow franchise alum Park Hae-soo. Rounding out the ensemble are Oh Jung-se (“It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”), Cho Yeo-jeong (“Parasite”) and Kim So-jin (“The Man Standing Next”), each working with Hwang for the first time.
The film centers on a near-future in which wealth can buy biological youth, pitting an aging elite that hoards money and power against a younger generation locked out of both. “K.O. Club” is shorthand for “Killing Oldmen Club,” a title that spells out the class war at the story’s core.
Firstman Studio built its reputation carrying “Squid Game” to a global audience and has since branched into television with the series “Affairs Not the Only Secret.” “K.O. Club” represents the company’s return to feature production alongside its founder.
