Liam Neeson to Play General MacArthur in South Korean Film

Liam Neeson is set to play Korean War hero General Douglas MacArthur in the South Korean actioner Operation Chromite, Taewon Entertainment announced on Wednesday.

Operation Chromite is the code name for the Battle of Incheon that took place on Sept. 15, 1950, shortly after the Korean War (1950-53) broke out on June 25. It was a surprise attack in which U.N. forces landed in the South Korean harbor city to drive out the North Koreans, and is recognized as a turning point for U.N.-backed South Korea against the communist North. Operation Chromite will focus on eight Korean war heroes.

Korean director John H. Lee, a.k.a. Lee Jae-han, will helm the film based on a script by Lee Man-hee. The filmmaker and writer have previously collaborated on another Korean War title, the critically acclaimed 2010 actioner 71: Into the Fire, starring K-pop star TOP of Big Bang in the lead role.

Apart from Neeson, the other Korean members of the cast have yet to be chosen, a spokesperson for Taewon Entertainment told The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is expected to go into production during the second half of the year, said the spokesperson. It is set to be released in time for next year’s anniversary of the breakout of the Korean War on June 25, 2016.

Operation Chromite will be produced on an estimated budget of 12 billion Korean won (about $12 million). It’s the first local production that stars a major Hollywood A-lister since Snowpiercer by Bong Joon Ho, which featured Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans. The latter was created on a budget of $14 million and remains the most costly local production of all time.

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