Park Chan-wook to Start Filming Violent Comedy-Thriller ‘I Can’t Help It’ (Tentative Title)

Korean cinema master Park Chan-wook isn’t stopping there. The internationally acclaimed 60-year-old will begin shooting his 12th feature film on Saturday, an adaptation of the 1996 novel by American writer Donald Westlake. The axeThe film, which currently bears the working title I can’t help itwill star Korean film stars Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, with financing and distribution coming from local studio heavyweight CJ ENM.

Westlake’s novel was already adapted into French by Costa Gavras as a film in 2005. The Ax (The axee). Like its predecessor, Park’s adaptation follows a man, named Man-soo this time and played by Lee, who is abruptly fired from the paper company where he has worked tirelessly for many years. The man becomes increasingly desperate in his search for a new job, and eventually decides to kill his competitors. Son will play the man’s wife, the warm-hearted Mi-ri.

I can’t help it will be Park’s first feature film since his critically acclaimed romantic-mystery drama. Decision to leave (2022). In between his big screen projects, he co-directed the HBO miniseries The sympathizerbased on the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and starring Robert Downey Jr. Last year also saw the 20th anniversary re-release of his ultra-violent global breakthrough Old boy (2003).

Park and Lee found early success in their careers with the crime thriller Common security area (2000), a milestone in Korean millennial cinema (Quentin Tarantino once described it as one of his favorite films from the 1990s). Lee has since become one of his country’s most versatile actors, recently gaining even greater global exposure thanks to his recurring role as Front Man in the Netflix series Squid GameWith her bright, warm personality and hugely popular early film roles, Son became known as the “nation’s first love” in Korea. I can’t help it will mark his first collaboration with Park.

Complement I can’t help itThe cast of is Lee Sung-min (The spy went north) and Yeom Hye-ran (Life), who will play the role of a couple who have gone through similar unemployment trials. Park Hee-soon (The scam) will play the role of the team leader of the paper company, while Cha Seung-won (An ordinary day) appears as one of Man-soo’s competitors. Yoo Yeon-seok (Mr. Sun) plays a colleague of the wife, Mi-ri.

CJ ENM said the film’s release date has not yet been set. Park, however, is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, which is held every May, and has presented four of his films there.