Jumping from Japan to France for The Truth, we learned last summer that Hirokazu Koreeda will next leap to a Korean production with Broker. Featuring the all-star cast of Song Kang-ho (Parasite), Bae Doona (Cloud Atlas, The Host), Kang Dong-won (Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula), and the popular artist IU aka Lee Ji-eun, the director has now secured another major talent in Korean cinema.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo will shoot the film, which begins production this month. Having begun his career with Kim Ji-woon’s The Foul King, starring Song Kang-ho, this project marks yet another reunion with the cinematographer and actor, following Snowpiercer and Parasite. Along with another Bong production, Mother, Hong Kyung-pyo has also shot Lee Chang-dong’s Burning and Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing.
The story of Broker will center on baby boxes, in which parents who aren’t able to provide for their babies anonymously give them up. Check out Hirokazu Kore-eda’s statement on the project below, along with the cinematographer’s Instagram post announcing his involvement.
Plans for Broker began about five years ago.
As always, it all began with the actors. I first met Song Kang Ho at the Busan International Film Festival and Kang Dong Won when he was in Tokyo for work. I have continued to stay in contact with the two actors in Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, and Cannes. At first, we simply exchanged greetings but as we continued to share conversations, it naturally led to us talking about working on a film together.
I worked with Bae Doona in 2009, and I thought to myself, ‘I hope we work together again, next time as a human character,’ and that dream has finally come true over 10 years later. And now I will be working on a film with crew members and Korean actors I greatly respect.
Broker is a story about baby boxes. Right now, working on the script that will move these three great actors, I am so excited. In order to share this excitement with you all, I hope to create a thrilling, heartwarming, and emotional film.
This film, like my latest film, will be one where I am apart from my home country and native language. What will I be able to express and share as we overcome barriers of language and culture? What does it mean to be a director? I hope to explore those questions through this project.
Expect a 2022 release for Broker.