The hottest works at this year’s Cannes Film Festival market are undoubtedly the new projects from Korea’s two cinematic masters, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho.
Director Park Chan-wook’s new film, The Brigands of Rattlecreek, was introduced through the film sales company 193 at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival market.
According to recent reports from Deadline and Variety, The Brigands of Rattlecreek has been in negotiations for an exclusive North American distribution deal with Clockwork, a new label under the major US studio Warner Bros.
Set in the American West, The Brigands of Rattlecreek tells a story of revenge and retribution. The film is based on a Hollywood ‘blacklist’ script (a high-quality unproduced screenplay) that has existed for 20 years, and it gained significant attention when Director Park Chan-wook signed on to write and direct. The star-studded cast includes Matthew McConaughey from ‘Interstellar,’ Austin Butler from ‘Dune: Part Two,’ Pedro Pascal from ‘The Last of Us,’ and Tang Wei, who previously worked with Park on ‘Decision to Leave.’
The new label Clockwork is preparing its first project, Tiamo!, by director Sean Baker, who won the Academy Award for Best Picture for ‘Anora.’ Clockwork is led by Christian Parks, an executive at the famous North American distributor NEON.
In addition to showcasing The Brigands of Rattlecreek at the market, Director Park Chan-wook is also serving as the Jury President for the competition section of this year’s festival.
Director Bong Joon-ho’s Ally was also introduced to buyers through CJ ENM for China and Japan, and through France’s Pathé Films for the rest of the world. Ally has confirmed a cast including Bradley Cooper, Ayo Edebiri, and Dave Bautista, with NEON, the distributor of ‘Parasite,’ securing the North American distribution rights.
This project is co-invested and co-distributed by CJ ENM, the Fenture K-Content Investment Association managed by Fenture Invest, and the major French studio Pathé Films. Barunson CNC, led by veteran producer CEO Seo Woo-sik, who produced Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mother’ and ‘Okja,’ will oversee the production.
Ally follows the peaceful daily lives of a baby pig-squid named Ally, who dreams of seeing the sun and appearing on TV, and their friends. However, their world is suddenly thrown into chaos when a mysterious aircraft crashes into the ocean.
Director Bong Joon-ho, who made a surprise appearance at the opening ceremony of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, presented Ally at the market. In an interview with Variety, he shared, “As a director, I have always wanted to create massive action sequences. I wanted to create sequences that surpass the great action scenes made by George Miller or Hayao Miyazaki, and this film is an opportunity to experiment with that ambition.”
