This ensemble will be rounded out by The Walking Dead’s Michael Rooker, The Continental’s Colin Woodell, The Marvels’ Abraham Popoola, Agatha All Along’s Ali Ahn, and National Treasure: Edge of History’s Lisette Olivera. While it will be directed by Lee Sang-young, a script was written by Cha Woo-jin, who he collaborated on The Roundup: No Way Out with, based on a story by Don Lee. Lee will also be producing under his Big Punch Pictures banner with Nova Film and B&C Content. K-pop star Nancy of MOMOLAND, The Suicide Squad’s Alex Meraz, Dexter’s Darri Ingolfsson, Shadowhunters’ Emeraude Toubia, Locke & Key’s Griffin Gluck, and Daniel Velez are all confirmed to have roles in the film as well.

The feature is set at the U.S.-Mexico border, where it follows Lee’s character, Hammer, “a bare-knuckle boxer who becomes ensnared in a deadly web of crimes and corruption after botching a fixed fight in San Diego. He soon finds himself in the crosshairs of cartel fugitives, criminals, and corrupt lawmen at Pig Village—a last-stop hotel near the border where chaos reigns and everyone is after the same pot of money.” Rooker will play Steve, a corrupt detective with a nasty streak who knows Hammer’s only weakness. Woodell is to portray Randy, a senseless murderer on “a bloody rampage.”

This film will mark a monumental moment in the Korean film industry, as production will shoot mainly in South Korea, with exterior shots of Southern California, making this the first English-language action feature of this large of a scale to be nearly made entirely in the country. Lee spoke on this in a statement, saying this has been a dream of his “for years” and that this feature “brings together top-tier talent from both Hollywood and Korea, blending the strengths of both industries into something totally original and globally exciting.”

Plus M Entertainment, the production studio behind The Roundup films, will be distributing and financing the project in Korea as well as the international sales. Primary production is set to finish in the first part of 2025, and a global release is expected to follow.