Korean star Lee Byung-hun, known for his roles in Squid Game and Park Chan-wook’s Korean Oscars submission No Other Choice, has signed up to star in Hive Media Corp’s martial arts action film Nambeol (working title).

The project, which marks the directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Lee Mo-gae, is described as a “hard-boiled martial arts action flick set in the early Joseon Dynasty”. The story revolves around nine warriors who travel to Tsushima Island to rescue Korean captives kidnapped by Japanese pirates. 

While not based on exact historical events, the film is set during a period when Korea struggled with frequent raids by Japanese pirates. History-inspired films have recently been performing strongly at the Korean box office with Showbox’s The King’s Warden, about a Joseon king sent into exile, becoming the highest-grossing Korean film ever with more than $105M. 

In Nambeol, Lee Byung-hun will play the leader of a group of warriors who leads a dangerous mission to save his people. The acclaimed actor is currently working on Disney+ series The Koreans, a reimagining of the FX series The Americans, and is also known for his role in Netflix series Squid Game. No Other Choice premiered at last year’s Venice film festival and selected as Korea’s Oscars submission, although it didn’t make the shortlist. 

Lee Mo-gae, who is making his directorial debut with Nambeol, is known for his work as a cinematographer on films including A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003), Asura: The City Of Madness (2016), 12.12: The Day (2023) and supernatural horror Exhuma (2024). His credits as a DoP also include films starring Lee Byung-hun including The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) and I Saw The Devil (2010). 

Hive Media Corp has previously worked with Lee Byung-hun on Inside Men (2015) and The Man Standing Next (2020). Nambeol is currently in pre-production and expected to start shooting in the second half of 2026.