‘Squid Game’ Breakout Hoyeon Joins Theo James in ‘The Hole’ (EXCLUSIVE)

SAG Award winner and Emmy nominee Hoyeon (“Squid Game,” “Disclaimer”) will star opposite Theo James in Kim Jee-woon’s “The Hole.”

The Veterans is representing international rights on the film and is introducing it to buyers at the AFM. CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group are representing the U.S. rights.

Written by Christopher Chen and based on the 2017 Shirley Jackson Award winning novel of the same name by Hye-young Pyun, “The Hole” follows Owen (James), a successful professor living abroad in South Korea, who is bedridden after a devastating car accident that killed his wife, Sandy (Hoyeon). He is left under the care of Yuna, his Korean mother-in-law, but when she starts to unravel the devastating truth behind Owen and Sandy’s marriage, and Owen himself, his road to recovery is threatened.

Sam Esmail, Chad Hamilton, and Nick Krishnamurthy are producing for Esmail Corp alongside Kimberly Steward and Alex Foster for K Period Media, and Andy Sorgie via Paisan, his KPM-backed banner. Jay Choi and Kim Jee-woon are producing with Soon Ho Song who will serve a co-producer for Anthology Studios.

Told in a combination of English and Korean, the story takes place in both countries and the respective components will be shot in the U.S. and Korea with the start of principal photography in Q1/Q2 2025.

Currently on screen opposite Cate Blanchett in Alfonso Cuarón’s psychological thriller “Disclaimer” for Apple TV+, Hoyeon will next be seen as the female lead in Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” alongside Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. She is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

Recent projects handled by Vincent Maraval and Kim Fox’s The Veterans banner include Jacques Audiard’s Oscar hopeful “Emilia Perez” starring Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez; Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” starring Fernanda Montenegro; Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” starring Daniel Criag; Jean-François Richet’s “Mutiny” starring Jason Statham; and Vicky Jewson’s “Ballerina Overdrive” starring Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, and Iris Apatow. Newly announced films include James Gray’s “Paper Tiger “starring Adam Driver, Jeremy Strong, and Anne Hathaway and Jim O’Hanlon’s “Fackham Hall” starring Thomasin McKenzie and Katherine Waterston.