Yoo Hae-jin, Yim Si-wan Team as Father and Son in Occult Mystery "Modeup"

Korean occult mystery film "Modup" has locked in its main cast and is set to begin principal photography on September 4. Yoo Hae-jin and Yim Si-wan will play father and son in this film. The film also marks the big-screen return of actress Kim So-hyun after roughly 10 years.

Set in the 1960s, "Modup" unfolds on a remote island that has long been cut off from the mainland. The story follows a group of people whose lives grow tangled like a knot that cannot be undone. The Korean word "modup" refers to a knot, and the title points to how the characters are bound together by a mystery none of them can loosen.

Yoo Hae-jin returns to the occult genre for the first time since "Exhuma," one of Korea's biggest recent box-office hits. He plays Lee Do, the village head of a fishing town who keeps a wary eye on the isolated island nearby. The character sits at the center of events that connect past and present. "We're starting production in September as the weather turns cooler," Yoo said. "I hope we can wrap safely, and I'll do my best to help make a strong film."

Yim Si-wan, known for the series "Squid Game" and the film "The Attorney," plays Lee Do's son, Sang-gun. Sang-gun is the kind of person who charges straight ahead once he sets his mind on something. When a woman named Seon-ok asks for his help, he heads to the island against his father's wishes. Yim Si-wan has moved easily across comedy, action and drama, and this film marks his first step into occult territory. He drew attention for his Chungcheong dialect work in the series "Boyhood," and this time he takes on a Jeolla dialect to shape the character.

Kim So-hyun, seen in the series "Good Boy" and "River Where the Moon Rises" and the film "The Last Princess," takes on her first occult project with "Modup." It marks her return to the big screen after about 10 years. She plays Seon-ok, a woman who travels to the island in search of a cure for an illness no one can explain. Her arrival pulls Lee Do and Sang-gun into a chain of events they cannot predict. Kim and Yim Si-wan previously appeared together in the drama "The Moon Embracing the Sun," and their reunion here is one of the film's key draws.

Lee Moo-saeng plays Gu-taek, Seon-ok's father, who travels to the island in a last-ditch effort to save his ailing daughter. His journey sets the whole story in motion. Lee has built a reputation for layered work across films such as "Citizen of a Kind" and "Noryang: Deadly Sea," and the series "The Glory" and "The World of the Married." Here he leans into the desperation of a father trying to save his child.

Director Park Jong-hyun makes his feature debut with the film. He previously worked in the directing departments of films such as "A Normal Family" and "Broker." "I'm excited to make my first film with such talented actors and a strong crew," he said. "More than anything, I hope everyone stays safe and we finish the shoot well." Director Kang Yun-sung, known for the film "The Outlaws" and the series "Big Bet" and "Low Life," joins the project as a producer.