Helmers suit up for sports-themed pix
Korean filmmakers dive into athletics
There are seven sports-themed movies in production or in the early stages of planning, covering everything from boxing to baseball to mountain climbing.
Projects already in production include "Champion," from production house Jininsa, based on the life of Korean boxer Deuk-gu Kim; "YMCA Baseball Team" (Myung Film), a story modeled on Korea's first baseball team; and "Man … Born" (Twin Entertainment), about a group of country boys who take up boxing in order to get special admission to universities in the city.
Local producers are also planning several movies about mountain climbing, and producer CN Film is working on another baseball pic.
The trend, like the gangster theme, is new to Korean filmmakers.
"Koreans have never been big fans of sports pics, though a few television dramas like (basketball skein) 'Last Victory' have been successful," says one insider. Previous pics set in the world of sports have done medicre to no B.O., even a U.S. hit such as "Remember the Titans" and broad laffer "The Replacements."
"Koreans became interested in sports only about 10 years ago, so most don't think of sports in connection to movies. It will take some time for moviegoers to combine the two interests in one," says film critic So-hee Kim.
Joon-ik Lee, president of film distribution company Cine World, also pointed out sports films are generally preferred by developed nations, which have the technology and the money to make such large-scale films and whose people have the luxury to foster their taste in athletics.
"On the other hand, the Korean film industry has been afraid to make sports movies that require professional knowledge of baseball, advanced filming technology and large budgets," he adds.
But many predict that Korean filmmakers will embrace sports themes permanently, especially since Korea is joint-host of the World Cup this year, and the country has started to export genuine stars, including Chan-ho Park (baseball) and Seri Pak (golf) -- all of which have sparked greater interest in sports.
