Inside Move: Shin saga eyes screen

Osborne in talks to bring helmer's story to bigscreen

By DARCY PAQUET

Helmer Shin Sang-ok and wife Choi Un Hui meet the press after escaping from North Korea, where they had been held eight years.

Osborne

"The Lord of the Rings" producer Barrie Osborne reportedly is in talks to make a movie about the eventful life of Korean helmer Shin Sang-ok, who died last week.

One of the most influential directors in Korean film history, Shin was abducted by North Korean agents and kept prisoner for eight years, during which time he was obliged to make pictures for tyrannical but movie-mad president Kim Jong-il.

According to Korean press reports Saturday citing "Seven Swords" co-production shingle Boram Entertainment, Osborne gained Shin's approval for a biopic in 2004. A screenplay is being written in the U.S.

Neither Osborne nor Boram CEO Lee Joo-ick was available for comment.