Ma Dong-seok to star in new Netflix film ‘Badland Hunters’

Ma Dong-seok will be leading Netflix’s upcoming original film, titled Badland Hunters.

Netflix has announced that it has greenlit production on its the upcoming film. Badland Hunters. The movie will be led by Eternals star Ma Dong-seok along with Lee Hee-jun, Lee Jun-young and Roh Jeong-eui.

The film, which has been in talks since at least 2022, is reportedly set in the universe of disaster-thriller Concrete Utopia starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young, which was released earlier this year.

According to Netflix, Ma stars in the post-apocalyptic film as Nam-san, a wasteland hunter in a decimated Seoul after a devastating earthquake. He is joined by his trusted partner Choi Ji-wan (Lee Jun-young) and Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-jun), a doctor who has survived the disaster.

The streaming platform also described the film as one that “delves deep into a world where mere survival becomes a luxury, allegiances are volatile, and human will is tested against nature’s harshest conditions”.

Badland Hunters is helmed by director, martial arts choreographer and actor Heo Myeong-haeng, who is best known for his work on films like The Roundup: No Way Out, which also starred Ma, and 2004’s Oldboy.

At the time of publishing, Netflix has yet to announce a premiere window for Badland Hunters.

In other South Korean entertainment news, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta has revealed that she had decided to cast Korean actor Park Seo-joon in the upcoming superhero film after watching Park’s 2020 drama Itaewon Class.

“Seo-joon’s acting in the drama really impressed me,” said the director. “When I was offered to direct The Marvels, I thought hard on who to choose for the role of ‘Prince Yan’. Then, suddenly, Park Seo-joon came to my mind.”