An Asian horror dream team has formed around The Medium, a supernatural horror flick that will be co-produced by South Korea’s Showbox and Thai studio GDH 599.
Korea’s Na Hong-jin, the visionary auteur behind The Wailing, Yellow Sea and The Chaser, will produce the film based on an original story he developed. The Medium is Na’s first effort as a producer, working under his production banner Northern Cross.
The Medium is directed by Thai horror maestro Banjong Pisanthanakun, best known internationally for his 2004 directorial debut Shutter, which was remade in multiple languages, including the 2008 Hollywood remake under the same name. In the years since, he has directed Thai hits in various other genres, including rom-com Hello Stranger and horror romance Pee Mak, which became Thailand’s biggest domestic box-office success ever with $33 million.
Now in post-production, The Medium is described as a horrifying story of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. But the goddess that appears to have taken possession of a family member turns out not be as benevolent as it first appears.
GDH 599 has been Thailand’s most successful film studio of the past decade. Recent successes include high school thriller Bad Genius (2017), which earned $3.4 million in Thailand but an additional $41 million in China.
International sales for The Medium are being handled by Seoul-based sales outfit Finecut, which will launch the film at Berlin’s upcoming European Film Market. Finecut previously handled Na’s earlier works The Chaser and The Wailing, both of which made much-discussed premieres at Cannes.
