Actor Park Bo Gum and Joo Won meet director Kim Han-min of The Admiral: Roaring Currents.
On the 15th, the film Kal: Godumakhan's Sword (director Kim Han-min, produced by Big Stone Pictures·Bluefire Studio, distributed by Red Ice Entertainment·Soleil Partners) announced a powerful casting lineup including Park Bo Gum, Joo Won, Jung Jae-young, Lee Sun-bin and Kim Hyung-seo.
Kal: Godumakhan's Sword is a blockbuster historical action film that unfolds when a man who lost his memory and became a slave after the fall of Goguryeo enters a gladiator tournament for a legendary sword. Set in 668, immediately after the fall of Goguryeo, against the backdrop of the former Goguryeo territory of Liaodong fortress, the film will add cinematic imagination to portray on a grand scale the process by which the northern legendary sword is reborn as a symbol of new hope.
In particular, this film raises expectations by putting the Goguryeo sword-fighting action that has not been fully explored at the forefront. Along with this, the gladiator tournament in the massive circular arena prepared at the old Goguryeo Liaodong fortress (Urihol) where 16 northern tribes including the Khitan, Malgal and Turkic peoples gather, the tribes' unique martial arts and tactics, and the action struggles for survival are expected to offer audiences an overwhelming sense of impact and catharsis never before experienced.
First, Park Bo Gum, who has been loved as a global star across both the screen and small screen, will play the memory-lost warrior 'Chilseong,' showcasing the most radical acting transformation of his filmography. Park Bo Gum will present a wide spectrum from the desperate survival action of a slave gladiator to the heroic narrative of awakening as a national hero known as the 'red wolf,' appearing before audiences with a powerful presence.
Joo Won was chosen to play Gye Pil-haryeok, who will form an adversarial relationship with Park Bo Gum. Gye Pil-haryeok is a cold-blooded warrior representing the Turkic peoples participating in the gladiator tournament and creates a tense rivalry with Chilseong. Joo Won will perform high-difficulty action using twin swords, injecting intense tension into the film.
The addition of strong actors with weighty performances and distinctive personalities raises expectations further. Jung Jae-young will play Heuk Su-gang, the leader of the Goguryeo restoration army (Damulgun), who is both the teacher who truly trains Chilseong into a warrior and a strong leader who secretly acts for the restoration of Goguryeo. Following that, Lee Sun-bin, who rose to prominence with the hit Noise, will appear as Maya, a member of the Goguryeo restoration army, showcasing a mysterious and intense charm and action. Finally, Kim Hyung-seo, who has been solidifying his position as an actor, will join as Heuk Su-gang's daughter Injeong, adding new vitality to the film.
Above all, Kal: Godumakhan's Sword is a work that director Kim Han-min, who opened a new horizon for Korean action historical films from The Last Stand: King of War to the Admiral Yi Sun-sin trilogy, has devoted years to from the planning stage. In particular, from the R&D stage the production incorporated AI technology and was selected for the Korea Creative Content Agency's K-Content AI leading project, and based on this technological capability it completed gladiator action where the diverse martial arts and tactics of 16 tribes collide, promising spectacular sights and entertainment not seen in existing historical dramas.
Director Kim Han-min said, 'If The Last Stand: King of War showed the speed and spirit of our people's bow, Kal: Godumakhan's Sword wants to capture on screen the sharp yet weighty energy of the sword that cuts through a chaotic era after the fall of Goguryeo. Beyond merely stabbing and cutting, audiences will encounter a heated Korean worldview where the era's pain and an individual's calling collide. Through the most audaciously Korean subjects, Goguryeo and the sword, please look forward to the birth of a new K-action hero work that will captivate audiences beyond Asia and around the world.'
Kal: Godumakhan's Sword is produced by Big Stone Pictures and Bluefire Studio and will begin full production aiming for a summer 2027 release. In addition, Red Ice Entertainment, a subsidiary of Korea's largest webtoon studio that produced webtoons such as Solo Leveling, will take the main investment and distribution, and cultural content investment company Soleil Partners, which has invested in numerous films and shown high revenue, will jointly carry out the main investment.
[Photo] The Black Label, Ghost Studio, Outer Universe, Lee Sun-bin, provided by FeelGhood Music.
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