Star-Driven Hostage Thriller Begins Global Rollout
Hostage thriller
THE NEGOTIATION, a star-driven Chuseok holiday release featuring
SON Ye-jin and
HYUN Bin, has booked itself theatrical releases in 22 countries. From debuting director
LEE Jong-seok, the film kicked off his global rollout in Korea on September 19.
Since the Cannes Film Market earlier this year, the film has secured a raft of international release dates, starting with the United States and Canada on September 20. Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei will follow on October 4, with Hong Kong and Macao also earmarked for early October. Taiwan and Vietnam will follow on October 19 with Indonesia also on the books for October 24.
CHOI Yoon-hee, the director of international distribution at
CJ ENM, explained that buyers in Asia were particularly motivated by the presence of stars
SON Ye-jin and
HYUN Bin, the latter drawing interest as he takes on the first villain role of his career.
SON, who was last seen in the hit fantasy melodrama
Be With You alongside
SO Ji-sub, plays hostage negotiator Ha Chae-yoon who encounters a hostage crisis in which her own supervisor is kidnapped and has only 12 hours to save the captives. Recently seen in the North Korea action-comedy
Confidential Assignment (2017) and the confidence man thriller
The Swindlers (2017), HYUN takes on the role of the hostage taker Min Tae-goo.