Kim Hong-sun, the Korean director behind “Project Wolf Hunting” and Season 3 of the British crime series “Gangs of London,” has started shooting a new martial arts revenge film called “The Hit List.” The Joseon-era action movie stars Jung Woo-sung and Wi Ha-jun, the actor widely known for his role in “Squid Game.” Cameras began rolling in October 2026, and South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international rights to the project. The film adapts a Kakao webtoon that has drawn more than 120 million views, giving the production a built-in audience before a single frame reaches cinemas.
What ‘The Hit List’ Is About
“The Hit List” is a martial arts revenge story set during Korea’s Joseon era, the dynasty that ruled from 1392 to 1897. The plot follows Han Myeong-hoe, one of the most powerful figures of the period, who climbed to the top through bloodshed. Jung Woo-sung plays Han. Opposite him is Baek E-hwa, a woman who loses everything to Han and turns her life over to revenge. Han’s right-hand man, Jang Gil-do, is described as a fearsome warrior in his own right, adding a physical obstacle to the conflict.
The story also connects Han to a royal power struggle. Wi Ha-jun plays Grand Prince Suyang, who relies on Han’s support in his bid to take the throne from his young nephew. That places Jung and Wi on the power-building side of the story, while Baek’s revenge is directed against the man enabling Suyang’s ambitions. The setup creates a conflict where an attack on Han carries stakes beyond his own survival, because he is both the target of a personal reckoning and an essential political ally.
The Cast and the Characters
Jung Woo-sung leads the film as Han Myeong-hoe. Jung’s credits include “12.12: The Day,” “Hunt,” “A Man of Reason,” and “The Good, the Bad, the Weird”. His role as Han puts him at the center of both the political power struggle and the revenge story, playing a man who rose through violence and now faces the consequences of that rise.
Wi Ha-jun stars as Grand Prince Suyang. Wi became globally recognizable through the “Squid Game” series, and his role in “The Hit List” places him in a historical political conflict rather than the contemporary survival drama that made him famous. Suyang depends on Han’s backing to seize the throne, which makes the two lead characters allies in the power struggle even as Han is the target of Baek’s revenge.
Additional cast members include Jung Sung-il and Choi Gwi-hwa, according to Korean outlet Zapzee and reporting cited by The Brief. Their roles have not been detailed in the main English-language trade reports, but their involvement adds further acting weight to the production.
The Director and the Team Behind the Camera
Kim Hong-sun brings a mixed background in Korean genre films and international television to “The Hit List.” His earlier Korean features include “Traffickers” (2012), “The Con Artists” (2014), “The Chase” (2017), and “Metamorphosis” (2019). His 2022 film “Project Wolf Hunting” premiered in the Midnight section of the Toronto International Film Festival before screening at Sitges and Brussels, and it was distributed in more than 70 countries.
That international reach led Kim to sign with WME, the talent agency that also represents Korean directors Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. His work on Season 3 of “Gangs of London” connected him with crew members who have now followed him to “The Hit List.” Lars Cox, whose credits include HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and Netflix’s “The Witcher,” is the director of photography. Kieran Waites, a gaffer who has worked on Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and the “Fast & Furious” films, has also joined the production.
Finecut described the film as pairing Korean storytelling with international production know-how, particularly for its large action scenes and period world. “The Hit List” is Finecut’s second project with Kim after “Project Wolf Hunting”.
Production and International Sales
Finecut unveiled the project and is handling international sales for “The Hit List”. The film is produced by Cheum Film, Studio Take, Library Company, and B&C Group, with Mascot Company presenting. Shooting began in October 2026, and the production is currently under way.
The source material is a Kakao webtoon with more than 120 million views. Adapting a webtoon with that level of readership is a common route for Korean films and series, and it gives the production an established audience before release. The film’s Joseon-era setting places it in a historical period that Korean cinema has returned to frequently, but the revenge-driven story and the international crew give it a different production profile from a standard period drama.
Release Information
A South Korean release date for “The Hit List” has not been announced. The Korean movie database HanCinema lists the film as being in production with filming in 2026 and notes that there is no release date in Korea yet. International sales are being handled by Finecut, but no distributor or streaming platform has been confirmed for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, or other global markets.
Because the film is still shooting, any release window would depend on post-production and sales deals that have not been made public. The confirmed information at this stage is that production started in October 2026, the cast and crew are attached, and Finecut is selling the project to international buyers.
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What Makes This Project Notable
“The Hit List” brings together three currents in Korean entertainment. Jung Woo-sung is a veteran film actor with a long list of credits across genres. Wi Ha-jun carries global recognition from “Squid Game,” one of the most-watched series in Netflix history. Kim Hong-sun has moved between Korean genre films and British television, and his “Gangs of London” crew members are working on the new film.
The webtoon source adds another layer. A Kakao webtoon with more than 120 million views already has a reading audience familiar with the characters and story, which is a commercial advantage for a film trying to stand out in a crowded market. The Joseon setting also gives the action a historical backdrop that differs from the contemporary Korean thrillers and dramas that often travel internationally.
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