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| Lee Jung-jae debuted in 1993 in the TV series "Dinosaur Teacher." Courtesy of Artist Company |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Lee Jung-jae, known for his roles in diverse genre films such as the crime action "The Thieves" (2012) and the historical drama "Assassination" (2015), is to add directing to his repertoire.
Local film distributor Megabox Plus M announced Friday that he would be director and lead actor for its upcoming project "Hunt" (working title), set to begin filming in 2021.
The spy action film will revolve around two national security agents Park Pyong-ho and Kim Jung-do, who chase after the head of North Korea's espionage operation. Lee will play agent Park who works under the agency's overseas division.
This film's production started three years ago, under the working title "Namsan." After reading the synopsis, Lee decided to take part in writing the scripts and producing it along with director Han Jae-rim in 2017.
However, the project was put on hold when Han decided to leave before production began. Lee continued to work on the script and the film is finally set to begin production.
The actor's longtime actor friend Jung Woo-sung is considering playing the other lead character Kim Jung-do.
The actors' agency Artist Company told multiple media outlets that "Jung has been offered a role in 'Hunt' and is reviewing it."
If Jung takes the role, it will be the first time in 21 years that the two have co-starred in a film, since "City of the Rising Sun" in 1999.
Lee debuted in 1993 through the TV series "Dinosaur Teacher" and rose to fame after playing the lead in the crime drama film "The Young Man" in 1994. He has starred in various TV series and movies, including JTBC's drama "Chief of Staff" (2019) and crime thriller film" New World" (2013).
He also co-founded the entertainment management company Artist Company with actor Jung in 2016.
