Say Luc Besson and Korea in the same sentence, and you'd be likely reminded of all the pathos surrounding Korean theater chains' decision to torture Besson's The Fifth Element to pieces (less minutes, more screenings!) back in the day, and the French director's subsequent reaction. But this time it looks like they're working together. President Kim Gwang-Deok of Odyssey Pictures just announced they bought the film rights for Yoo Gwang-Soo's acclaimed novel 진시황 프로젝트 (The Qin Shi Huang Project), set to become a 30 Billion won Korea-France coproduction. Kim commented that Besson and two other French companies are adapting the novel, and that a MOU will take place next month, with Besson to be invited in Korea shortly to make an announcement on the matter.

The novel, which won the highest honors at the first Korean New Wave Literary Awards, is partly based on the famous legend of Xu Fu, one of the court sorcerers of the Qin Dynasty's First Emperor (the title's Qin Shi Huang), sent by the emperor to find the elixir or eternal youth. It begins in the present with a series of mysterious murders taking place in Seoul, eventually involving the history of Korea, China and even Japan (Xu Fu's legendary Penglai Mountain was considered to be Mt. Fuji, by Yichu of the Zhou Dynasty). It mixes history, suspense and action tinted with conspiracy theories in ways that strongly remind of The Da Vinci Code, which is probably why it's attracting the French. Historical mystery novels have become enormously popular in Korea in recent years, especially Kim Tak-Hwan's works (some of his novels were to be made into films, but the funding crisis of the last few years ruined most of those plans). Of the 30 Billion won budget, 70% would come from Korean investors, with France taking care of the rest. According to Kim, production will be handled by Besson's own EuropaCorp, along with AJOZ Film of Bandidas. Despite claiming to be have retired, there are chances Besson might even direct the project himself, as Kim noted he showed strong interest. Film would obviously be in English, with two of the top roles expected to go to Korean actors.

SOURCES
[Joongang], [Hanguk Economy], [NewsEN]