“Squid Game” creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk is returning to feature filmmaking with “K.O. Club,” his first film in about a decade, and the production company Firstman Studio has confirmed Lee Byung-hun as the lead. The film is described as a sci-fi thriller set in a near future where youth can be bought, focusing on tensions between a small group of wealthy, powerful seniors and younger people who lack comparable opportunities.
Firstman Studio also reveals the title’s meaning, explaining it stands for “Killing Oldmen Club.” The cast lineup announced across reports includes Oh Jung-se, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Hae-soo and Kim So-jin in addition to Lee. The outlets frame Hwang’s comeback against his prior work, including “The Fortress,” “Miss Granny” and “Silenced,” and his global success with “Squid Game,” which won major directing recognition.
The main differences among the sources are timing details: Korea Times reports filming begins in the first half of next year, while Variety says filming is targeted for the first half of 2027. Both accounts otherwise align on the director, the premise, and the principal casting announcement.
