Prequel trilogy for 'Inside Men' to be produced

A scene from the 2015 film "Inside Men" / Courtesy of Showbox

A prequel story to the hit Korean political thriller "Inside Men" will be developed into a film trilogy, production house Hive Media announced Monday.

The original film, directed by Woo Min-ho and starring Lee Byung-hun, Cho Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik, was based on a webtoon of the same name by Yoon Tae-ho. It drew more than 7 million moviegoers upon its release in 2015, becoming one of the country's biggest box-office successes that year.

The upcoming trilogy will serve as a prequel set in the late 1980s, preceding the events of the first film which took place in the 2010s.

A poster for the 2015 film "Inside Men" / Courtesy of Showbox

According to the studio, it will trace the origins of the powerful cartel of politicians, business tycoons, prosecutors and gangsters depicted in the movie as dominating modern Korea.

The project will be co-directed by Kim Min-beom and Kim Jin-seok. Kim Min-beom previously served as assistant director on "12.12: The Day" (2023) and "Flu" (2013), while Kim Jin-seok adapted the Disney+ original series "Made in Korea."

Hive Media said the first and second installments will be filmed simultaneously this year, with the third scheduled to shoot next year. Filming for the initial parts is expected to begin in the first half of the year once casting is finalized.