Hoyeon of 'Squid Game' fame boards Korean thriller 'Hope'

LOS ANGELES: South Korean model-actor Hoyeon, best known for the superhit Netflix series ''Squid Game'', is set to star in director Na Hong-jin's Korean language thriller ''Hope''. The upcoming film also features actor couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as part of the call sheet, reported entertainment website Deadline.

''Hope'' marks the first project from filmmaker Na since the 2016 hit ''The Wailing''. The film is also Hoyeon's first starring role in a Korean project since she made her screen debut in ''Squid Game'' in 2021.

The movie will follow the residents of Hopo Port, where a mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the remote harbour town. ''Before long, the residents find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something they have never encountered before,'' the synopsis read. Na, whose directing credits include violent horror films such as ''The Chaser'' and ''The Yellow Sea'', said Hoyeon is a perfect fit to the film. She will play a cop named Sung-ae.

''Everything about Hoyeon aligned with what I envisioned for Sung-ae. Her bold, bright energy will be a great source of strength for this film,'' the filmmaker added.

Fassbender and Vikander will speak English in ''Hope'', which marks their second collaboration following 2016's ''The Light Between Oceans''.

Hoyeon was already a modelling star when she became the first non-English language performer to win Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the SAG Awards for ''Squid Game'', in which she played the North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, one of the last three survivors of the deadly game.

She will next be seen in Alfonso Cuaron's Apple TV+ thriller series ''Disclaimer'' and Joe Talbot's film ''The Governesses''.