[Hollywood Reporter] CJ for GBW

CJ Entertainment turns double play

By Stuart Kemp

BERLIN — CJ Entertainment has boarded Park Chan-Wook’s latest project, now titled “Thirst,” and “The Good, the Bad and the Weird,” helmed by Kim Ji-Woon.

In a double whammy for the busy South Korean sales, distribution and financier, CJ Entertainment said Friday that it expects to close deals on both projects for U.S. distribution and is in negotiations “with studios big and small” for “Oldboy” director Park’s “Thirst,” according to international sales and acquisitions chief Tom Oh.

Oh said “Thirst,” budgeted at $7 million, is scheduled to shoot in March and aims to roll out the project in South Korea by the end of this year. It details the story of a priest who turns into a vampire after a failed medical experiment and his battle for survival.

“Thirst” is being produced by Moho Films. Oh said CJ Entertainment is putting up finance in return for worldwide sales rights and South Korean distribution rights.

CJ Entertainment also has snapped up Korean distribution rights to “Weird” and is just starting presales — excluding a handful of territories, including Japan — at the European Film Market.

Oh said the Kim-directed project is “one of the biggest budgets for a Korean movie ever” at $17 million. The deal with the filmmakers and CJ was struck early Friday morning, and Oh and his team are hurriedly fixing up meet-and-greets with buyers.The project started out at rival Korean outfit Cineclick Asia. Oh declined comment on his company’s swoop for the title.Set in Manchuria in the 1930s, “Weird” deals with three Korean men and their entanglement with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits, according to one Internet site.

Kim has enjoyed success at the boxoffice in Asia with such titles as “The Foul King” (2000), “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003) and “A Bittersweet Life” (2005).

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

[Variety.com] Going for the Best

 CJ clocking ‘Good’ times

Co. picks up ‘Good, the Bad and the Weird’

By PATRICK FRATER

CJ Entertainment, Korea’s biggest movie company, has made significant advances with two of the largest Korean projects of the year.

Company has grabbed international sales duties on “The Good, the Bad and the Weird,” a Korean spaghetti Western by helmer Kim Jee-woon (“A Tale of Two Sisters”). Rights had previously been repped by Cineclick Asia.

“Oldboy” helmer Park Chan-wook and CJ have finally settled on a title and a schedule for his long-awaited vampire film. Pic will now be called “Thirst” and will start a marathon nine-month shoot beginning in March.

Story finds Korea’s leading man, Song Kang-ho (“The Host,” “Sympathy for Mister Vengeance”), as a much-loved priest who becomes a vampire after a failed medical experiment; he becomes a tortured and depraved soul. Title refers to a craving for sex, blood and love. CJ is pitching the pic as a love story with horror and drama.

“Weird” finally wrapped last week after a troubled shoot in China that took production over schedule and over its $11 million budget. Producer Barunson turned to CJ for fresh coin and local distribution.

Kim is now hurrying to complete the pic, which boasts three of Korea’s top actors — Song, Lee Byung-hun (“Oldboy” “A Bittersweet Life”) and Jung Woo-sung (“Musa the Warrior”) — in time for a Cannes screening and a July commercial release.

Former Cineclick topper Suh Young-joo has now struck out on her own with new indie shingle Fine Cut (Variety Berlin Show Daily, Day 1.)

Source: Variety.com