Star of Netflix’s international and very successful series Squid Game, Lee Jung-jae, is set to appear at this year’s (2022) Cannes Film Festival as a first-time director with his very first movie.
Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-Hun in Squid Game / Picture Credit: Netflix
Squid Game premiered on Netflix in September of last year (2021); the captivating series quickly became an international phenomenon and blew up the internet with people discussing the show, and suggesting that others should take a look.
The series followed Seong Gi-Hun, played by Jung-jae, a somewhat simple man who is almost buried under a mountain of debt. When an opportunity reveals itself that will allow him to win a substantial amount of money, he takes the chance.
Despite being highly tentative at the circumstances and how the money will be won, Gi-Hun joins 455 other players in order to win the ₩45.6 billion (US$38 million, €33 million, or GB£29 million as of broadcast).
In exciting news for the actor, Jung-jae will, next month (May, 2022), see his directorial debut on the screens of the Cannes Film Festival at the Midnight Screening section.
Jung-jae has been a well-known name in Korea since the late 1990s, but it wasn’t until Squid Game took over both Netflix and the internet, that he became well-known internationally.
His incredible performance in the hit series earned Jung-jae nominations at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the Golden Globes, where the actor picked up wins from everything but the Globes.
Met with a great deal of excitement from fans of the show, Netflix has confirmed that a second season of Squid Game is on its way, with Jung-jae returning to reprise his role. Luckily, Hwang Dong-Hyuk will also be returning as showrunner.
In regard to Jung-jae's first shot as director, Variety has reported that the actor will have both his directorial debut and his feature-length movie, along with the premiere of his Korean-language film, Hunt (Namsun), at what will be the 75th Cannes Film Festival.
Jung-jae stars in the movie as well as directing, and will appear alongside South Korean acting legend, Jung Woo-sung.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival will run from May 17th to May 28th in Cannes, France. It is unknown, however, what exact date Hunt will be shown.
Hunt is said to follow two elite agents who work for the Agency for National Security, in the midst of planning to find a North Korean Spy. However, in the process, they are forced to open their eyes to the dark truths that shroud their country.
With any luck, Jung-jae's feature will get picked up by a distributer, and share Hunt with the rest of the world.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Cannes Film Festival Netflix