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Song Seung-heon and Lee Min-ki’s noir remake

Song Seung-heon and Lee Min-ki have been cast as the leads of a Korean remake of Hong Kong noir film A Better Tomorrow, the classic 1986 John Woo crime thriller that starred Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, and Ti Lung.

The remake, Invincible [무적자], boasts a blockbuster budget of more than 10 billion won and comes from film company Fingerprint, which bought the rights to remake the film in 2006. At the time, director Jang Hyung-soo was attached; he is known for films like Rules of the Game and Everybody Has Secrets. However, now directing is Song Hae-sung of Maundy Thursday and Failan. Director Song and Song Seung-heon are reteaming after having once worked together a decade ago in 1999’s Calla. The film has been invested in by Japan’s Formula Entertainment, making this a multinational production that plans to release simultaneously throughout Asia.

Song Seung-heon will take the role originally acted by Chow Yun-fat, while Lee Min-ki takes Leslie Cheung’s. Ti Lung and Waise Lee’s roles are currently being cast. While the original was set in the Hong Kong gangster underworld, the remake features a North Korean defector who settles in the South and gets caught up in the world of organized crime.

This is Song Seung-heon’s next project after his drama comeback met with widespread success in East of Eden. Lee Min-ki, meanwhile, has had a great year with blockbuster Haeundae (as well as smaller films like Oishii Man) and also put out his first solo album.

Invincible hopes to begin filming at the end of the year in order to release in 2010.

Via My Daily

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Before ABT even aired Chow was not even close to what he was after . So, point being, Chow was a mere "mediocre actor" like aka you know who, then afterwards, he became a great actor.

Again, if SSH can pull this off, he will be a "great actor," because he will have that chip on his shoulder of you guys, and yes me too, who keeps criticizing him that he's just a "pretty face" and nothing more. If he does this role well, I will give him that great respect. Because a dynamic and talented actor will adapt to his role and make us believe he is that person on screen.

ABT will closely be on the microscope of hardcore fans like me and some of you here. I have a lot of respect for the Korean Fingerpoint production co. for taking this project to be portrayed in a Korean style. And what's with all the negatives that I'm reading? I don't understand what's the big deal? If you don't want to watch it, don't. Movie remakes are always being done all the time and will continue to, so it's nothing new.

In case all of you don't know, ABT was also itself a remake! It was a remake of a 1967 Cantonese film called 'Story of a Discharged Prisoner' which ABT surpasses obviously because of the technology in film making at that time. So there's nothing wrong with remakes, all it can do is to make it better or worse. What's to stop the Korean version to do even better? technology is even more advance now than it was in the '80s.

Also, reading on some news that this will not be an exact "remake"? it will just have the basic blueprint of ABT but it's gonna be in a Korean storyline. Some preliminary articles report, the story is that the character that Song is portraying was in a special forces unit in North Korea and was sent to South Korea, and somehow he got entangled in a gang war or conflict.

I'll support this production because I'm a fan of ABT, so if SSH hits a home-run and performed excellently with this project, I won't say anything negative about this man anymore.

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@ 52 Life is not Fair

You are right - it really depends on what new materials and thoughts are to be injected in the remake. Or rather, remake is not the right term where the movie is inspired by some previous works (just think YB that has obvious traces of He is aWoman, She is a Man). For example, the 1960s HK movie directed by Lung Kong, based on which ABT was made, has little resemblance of the ABT we know apart from the gangster and cop brother storyline.

ABT's success lies squarely with (a) John Woo's sensational treatment of his materials which in many ways is an epic bromance (in the Chang Cheh tradition) and (b) the perfect casting and prime acting of Chow Yun Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung. CYF's character strictly speaking is a supporting role but he pulls it off so well that it becomes his signature career role. Let's put it that way, he is born to play Brother Mark.

Yet, I have a hard time picturing Song Seung Heon playing CYF's role. Let's wait and see.

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okay, all 54 of us agree that SSH is a poor choice, but the man is smokin

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ok SSH is handsome even i hate him.
but i feel his acting will be as sour as in FATE.
That movie totally pathetic..

SSH not teen idol anymore that i feel when Kim bum take some serious Roles.

anyway hey ALL!!! ( waving!!!! ) do you think SSH will have same fate like Chow yun fat ??? i don't think so ..

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@ 54 - SSH is never a poor choice, commercially he will gather revenue (from investors), all Hallyu stars are rich beyond belief (by Korean standards of course), so he doesn't need the money, he needs to continue to challenge himself to do good character roles, albeit, acting performance as well.

@ 55 - You'd actually think Kim Bum will even be considered for such a role? after his drama 'Dream' never saw life and can't even pass the 10% ratings marker? and even JJM was also the lead. Which really angers me, JJM just had a decent success with FF co-starring with JIS and that drama just gave him a set back to no end. I couldn't believe he took that role. I mean what was he thinking?

SSH's EOE drama was a mess behind the scenes especially with the terrible ending. But the drama kept me watching until the very end. I think he can still pull off the role well with this movie if he continues to focus and takes our criticism to his advantage to make him work harder.

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i don't like SSH, i don't like mafia's or gank's story, but i love LMK so i guess i will wait n watch this movie just because of Minki. But please don't let minki's character die like his other blockbuster movies ok,pleasse.... (coz i never watched ABT before,so i don't know the story). Just give him some happy ending Ok. Fighting MINKI.....

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