Lee Jung-jae considers war movie MacArthur opposite Liam Neeson
by girlfriday
When I first heard this news, I assumed that Korean war movie MacArthur would be a Hollywood production, but it’s a new domestic film from Taewon Entertainment (the production house behind the IRIS franchise), that managed to cast Liam Neeson (Taken) in the titular role as General Douglas MacArthur. The production is now courting Lee Jung-jae (Big Match) to star opposite him, and his reps have confirmed that he’s met with the director and is considering the project.
The movie will be directed by Lee Jae-han of Into the Gunfire (also a Taewon Entertainment project), and tells the story of the Battle of Incheon that took place in September 1950 during the Korean War. Neeson plays General MacArthur, the commander of the UN Forces who led the attack that successfully cut off North Korean troops. Lee Jung-jae is considering a role as a lieutenant in the navy.
I’m more interested in the script and whether half the movie will be in English, and if it means that half the cast will be international as well. I suppose it’s a unique case where you could actually cast people who don’t have to understand each other, if Americans are speaking English and Koreans are speaking Korean and everything is subtitled? Technically it’s more realistic than Hollywood movies where everyone is speaking English in foreign countries, if you think about it. Who knows if it’ll work, but count me among the curious.
MacArthur is still casting, and plans to start shooting in August.
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1 Hoshisma
July 20, 2015 at 2:07 PM
I'm Taken with the idea of this movie… I'll see myself out now.
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themugen123
July 20, 2015 at 3:08 PM
hehe!
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mary
July 20, 2015 at 4:21 PM
Hihihihi
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Camille
July 20, 2015 at 6:43 PM
Hahaha no no staaaaay lol
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beedobeedo
July 20, 2015 at 11:32 PM
Don't go.
"I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you"
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kermit
July 20, 2015 at 11:34 PM
Do you have a very particular set of skills?
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dooleygongshil
July 21, 2015 at 12:47 AM
Are these skills you have acquired over a very long career?
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dooleygongshil
July 21, 2015 at 7:48 PM
LET MY DAUGHTER GO NOW!
2 girlatsea
July 20, 2015 at 2:14 PM
It's ok, I laughed ^^;;;
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3 pastryajumma
July 20, 2015 at 2:17 PM
I would totally watch this especially if Lee Jung-jae is in it. He totally won me over in Sandglass among other projects.
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4 Quiet Thought
July 20, 2015 at 2:36 PM
It would be great to see a movie about the drama of 1950 that gave both Korean and American points of view. And without ideological loading.
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Cheryl
July 20, 2015 at 3:22 PM
I completely agree. I'll believe in such a thing when I actually see it with my own eyes, because I'm jaded and cynical that way. I think it's great they were able to get Liam Neeson to play MacArthur. He's an excellent actor and can definitely do tough-as-nails and gritty.
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Gidget
July 20, 2015 at 3:23 PM
Exactly. The actual South Korean perspective, without pandering to the nearby communist nations.
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5 Orion
July 20, 2015 at 2:45 PM
If this were not Taewon, I would trust it more. War films can be great in terms of emotional impact, but this company seems to love its brainless action a lot. I have not seen its produced films, but they do not sound like major emotional journeys, frankly.
So... very skeptic here. Not that action or war action is bad, but if I want fancy 'splosions and power trips, I'll play an army-themed FPS and I don't trust Taewon with more until I see more from it. This would be an awesome idea with a company and crew who are really about the story and history.
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6 TJ
July 20, 2015 at 2:47 PM
I guess the author has never seen Snowpiercer. That had Song Kang ho who spoke Korean and no subtitles. I believe it was British/Korean collaboration. It starred Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, and Octavia Spencer, with Song Kang ho and Go Ah sung. None of the Korean was translated but it wasn't hard to figure out.
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mary
July 20, 2015 at 4:26 PM
Woah. Really? O__O
I wanted to watch that for Go Ah Sung and Tilda Swinton but missed out when it was in theaters.
How many lines did they have though? I guess I can understand basic KR expressions from watching lots of KR shows, but if it's a lot of lines I'd still need subtitles. :(
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changhyun
July 20, 2015 at 4:29 PM
Uh I watched it in America and the Korean was subtitled though so I think your experience may have been unique?
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Kiara
July 20, 2015 at 5:08 PM
Same. It's on Netflix too.
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7 Sanchita Suman
July 20, 2015 at 2:49 PM
Having seen all three installment of 'TAKEN'
I am naturally excited for this cross international mashup of two of my fav movie industries!
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8 museofmanymasks
July 20, 2015 at 3:03 PM
I love Liam Neeson and Lee Jung Jae, but I wish the production house was different.
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Kiara
July 20, 2015 at 5:00 PM
Love Neeson to pieces. Great actor and great person. If I ever have a baby boy I'd name him Liam.
Didn't care for Iris but maybe they have the budget for this?
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9 chelsdy
July 20, 2015 at 3:04 PM
I DON'T THINK IT will be in English obviously it's a Korean movie. Maybe McArthur will just be an icing on the cake I guess a support.
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10 DramaOmma
July 20, 2015 at 3:05 PM
I thought it was rumored Hyun Bin was doing it... :/
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11 Mandy
July 20, 2015 at 3:08 PM
It sounds like an interesting project and could either be disastrous or epic. I really like Lee Jung-jae in everything so if it works out, I'm excited to see who else rounds up the cast.
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12 pogo
July 20, 2015 at 3:45 PM
so it'll be like Snowpiercer? Which is a great movie.
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13 Quiet Thought
July 20, 2015 at 3:59 PM
It could just be an extended cameo for Neeson as MacArthur. Neeson doesn't mind doing small parts (as in Battleship) if he's got nothing on his schedule and the paycheck is there.
Which is too bad, because MacArthur was a complex character. Both the best and worst general of his era, depending on the crisis and his mood.
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[email protected]
July 20, 2015 at 11:02 PM
I am firmly in the worst general of his generation camp, especially for the duration of his command during the Korean war.
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Quiet Thought
July 21, 2015 at 11:35 AM
I occasionally have to remind people that MacArthur was the commanding general in the two worst defeats every inflicted on the United States Army, defeats we unfortunately shared with, respectively, our Filipino and our Korean allies. His bungling contributed to both defeats.
On the other hand, he handled a long, grim campaign in the South Pacific (and also the Busan campaign) with intelligence, imagination, and steely nerve. MacArthur was a good example of a very smart human whose prejudices and emotional eccentricities could make him do very stupid things.
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14 whitewire
July 20, 2015 at 7:47 PM
Neeson is so fit to be MacArthur.
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15 gugugu
July 20, 2015 at 8:40 PM
amazing how they got an actor like him, who's hard to get even in hollywood...and by sheer coincidence i'm studying this in my history course..looking forward to it!!
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16 kalel
July 20, 2015 at 10:26 PM
In many European films about WW2, for example, actors speak their native languages (e.g. La vita e' bella) even though European actors usually are multilingual (e.g. Jean Reno, Marcello Mastroianni or Hanna Schigulla and many others a lot younger than them as Daniel Bruhl). Besides Liam Neeson is a European himself and has starred in small irish productions the same time he was in huge Hollywood blockbusters.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the name McArthur was more ironic and less "actual", like what happens to people's lives when the General gets involved in the war. That could use less Neeson's physical appearence in the film and more focus on the peripheral characters. In terms of Snowpiercer (thank you, guys, for reminding me that breathtaking film) he could play a similar to Ed Harris' role:-)
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17 Noelle
July 21, 2015 at 12:06 AM
Liam... I'd watch anything with him. Sold.
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18 Jenny
July 21, 2015 at 1:29 AM
I've been a fan of Liam Neeson for years (still sad what happened to his wife ) and this role sounds meaty. It's been a while since he's done a great role. I've seen Taken and was entertained. But I was positively surprised about A walk among the tombstones that turned out to be quite a good thriller with freaking Downton Abbey's Matthew! (Dan Stevens)
Also looking forward to Scorsese's Silence.
MacArthur is a interesting character, he was one of the people that decided that Emperor Hirohito should not be trialed as a war criminal for his actions even though many others think he should have.
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kalel
July 21, 2015 at 2:13 AM
+1, @Jenny. Can't wait for Scorsese's film, either. It was bound not to happen due to its really long wait and casting shake up... Too bad we won't be able to watch Ken Watanabe in a Martin Scorsese's movie but the runner-up sounds promising as well. ;-)
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Jenny
July 21, 2015 at 3:52 AM
I think it's nice that someone other then Watanabe got the role (I mean it's not like he's the only Japanese actor out there)plus he's doing the King and I on Broadway which I'd so love to see.
But the cast is awesome Kase Ryo, Kubozuka Yosuke, Asano Tadanobu and Ogata Isse!
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kalel
July 21, 2015 at 9:13 AM
Even though I envie you tremendously, I hope you do watch King and I :-)
I like Ken Watanabe and I'm sure he'd have done a great job. But you're right, the cast is wonderful and even though Watanabe's english is fine, I know all actors will do their best. It's a Scorsese's film after all!
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19 makjangqueen
July 21, 2015 at 1:58 AM
I agree with girlfriday.. it will be really cool if the English cast spoke English and the Korean cast spoke Korean and everything is just subtitled. But am really looking forward to it
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20 chaloner
July 21, 2015 at 4:28 PM
Yes I prefer subtitles! It's more realistic. Watching a World War 2 movie and Germans speaking english is not realistic. Hopefully this movie the Koreans speak Korean.
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