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PARK Chan-wook Wraps Production on THE HANDMAID
Stills Released for 2016 Colonial Era Thriller
Surely one of next year’s most anticipated films, PARK Chan-wook’s next title The Handmaid completed production on Halloween last Saturday. Following the start of production on June 15th, the project underwent almost five months of shooting in Japan and Korea. The production has also released its first stills.
Based on the Sarah Waters novel ‘Fingersmith’, The Handmaid takes place in the 1930s, when Korea was occupied by the Japanese Empire. A suave swindler sets his sights on the vast fortune of a young woman of the noble class and engages the help of a young pickpocket he meets to pose as the lady’s handmaid.
Following the smash success of CHOI Dong-hoon’s Assassination, HA Jung-woo plays the conman while KIM Min-hee is on board as the target, following the rapturous response of HONG Sang-soo’s Right Now, Wrong Then. The younger thief is played by new face KIM Tae-ri, who was discovered following extensive auditions which featured some 1,500 applicants. The cast also features familiar faces CHO Jin-woong (A Hard Day, 2014), MOON So-ri (Oasis, 2002) and KIM Hae-sook (The Thieves, 2012).
The famed cineaste behind the ‘Vengeance Trilogy’, which includes Old Boy (2003), PARK’s previous outing saw him tackle the US project Stoker (2013) with Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman. His last feature-length project on Korean soil was 2009’s vampire tale Thirst with SONG Kang-ho.
Produced by Moho Film and distributed by CJ Entertainment, The Handmaid is expected to bow in the latter half of 2016, though an earlier festival slot is not out of the question.
