The latest film from Bong Joon-ho, Okja, hits Netflix in 2017. The global adventure – starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Steven Yeun – tells the story of Mija, a young girl who must risk everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named ‘Okja’. “It’s a very shy and introverted animal,” director Joon-ho has explained. “It’s a unique animal that we’ve not seen before.”
No trailers have arrived yet, but the images below – of two main characters, Mija and Red – come accompanied by a storyboard showing how the action plays out in the picture featuring Lily Collins’ Red.
Jae Hyuk Lee/Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
The storyboard scene above takes place in the Financial District of Manhattan, and director Joon-ho has given a few details about what’s going on: “Red is part of a group of animal rights activists that figure into the story. On Wall Street, it’s the heart of capitalism. On the surface is a story about an animal, but it’s essentially a story about capitalism.”
As well as direction from Bong Joon-ho – the man behind 2013’s Snowpiercer – Okja was co-written with Jon Ronson, who wrote the Michael Fassbender-starring Frank. The film stars Tilda Swinton (Hail, Caesar!), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)), Paul Dano (Love & Mercy), Lily Collins (Rules Don’t Apply), and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), while also introducing newcomer Ahn Seo-hyun as Mija.
Okja will premiere globally on Netflix in 2017 and will also have a limited day and date theatrical release in the US. Netflix is also looking for theatrical partners for a day and date release in select international territories, including Korea.