Liam Neeson In Talks To Be General Douglas MacArthur

He’s spent a lot of time recently playing characters in the middle of the action, usually rescuing members of their family, or stopping terrorists on planes. Liam Neeson is looking to take a break from actual fighting to play a famous military type in South Korean war film Operation Chromite.

Neeson is in talks to star as World War II hero and five-star general Douglas MacArthur, who led the United Nations forces during part of the Korean War. He was seen as a great commander, but removed from his position when he made statements that ran counter to the American administration’s policies. 

The film’s focus, however, will be the 1950 Battle of Incheon, a big turning point in the war between North and South Korea, with UN forces launching a surprise attack against the North. The war, which spanned three years in the 1950s, ended with a stalemate that persists to this day. John H. Lee is directing the movie from a script by Lee Man-Hee, and they’re busy locking in other cast members to play Korean soldiers on the front line. Production should kick off before the end of the year. Neeson will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s Silence and Juan Antonio Bayona’s fantasy picA Monster Calls. 

Liam Neeson to play General MacArthur

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(Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Posted August 12 2015 — 12:41 PM EDT

Liam Neeson has signed on to play General Douglas MacArthur inOperation Chromite, a Korean War drama about the Battle of Inchon.

“Operation Chromite” was the code name for the Battle of Inchon, a 1950 United Nations military operation planned and executed by MacArthur that helped reverse the tide of the Korean War. The film will focus on eight Korean troop members and their key role in the battle.South Korean production company Taewon Entertainment is producing, with John H. Lee (a.k.a. Lee Jae-Han) directing and Lee Man-hee writing the script. The two previously worked together in 2010 on another Korean War drama, 71: Into the Fire. Jeong Tae-won, the head of Taewon Entertainment, told Korean news agency Yonhap that Operation Chromite will begin production in South Korea in late September with a production cost of about $12 million. 

It’s fairly rare for Korean films to cast Hollywood actors, although there are a few exceptions, like last year’s Snowpiercer, an English-language thriller starring Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans. Other roles inOperation Chromite have yet to be cast, and the film is expected to be released in the first half of 2016.

Liam Neeson In Talks To Play General MacArthur In Korea’s ‘Operation Chromite’

Liam Neeson is in talks to star as U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur in South Korean war pic Operation Chromite from Taewon Entertainment. A Taewon rep confirmed the news Wednesday to Deadline. John H. Lee is on-board to direct the project, which looks at the Battle of Incheon, a major turning point in 1950 in the Korean War in which United Nations forces launched a surprise attack against communist North Korean forces. Operation Chromite was the codename for the operation. The Korean War was fought between 1950-1953 and ended in a stalemate that exists today, with simmering hostilities between the Western-allied South and Communist North.

No other cast has been announced yet, with the film following the exploits of a group of Korean soldiers taking part in the battle. Lee Man-Hee, who previously worked with Lee on 71: Into The Fire, has written the script. Lee is repped by CAA. Filming is set to begin by the end of the year with Taewon execs hoping to release the film in 2016 in time for the June 25 anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war.

Liam Neeson to Play General MacArthur in South Korean Film

The war film will be directed by John H. Lee and is set to be released in time for next year's anniversary of the Korean War on June 25.

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 byBong 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.

Liam Neeson Joins Korea’s ‘Operation Chromite’ As General MacArthur

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AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC

AUGUST 12, 2015 | 02:31AM PT

Sonia Kil

BUSAN — Liam Neeson is play the role of U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur in “Operation Chromite” (a.k.a. “Incheon Landing Operation”), a Korean-made blockbuster set during the Korean War of the early 1950s.

The film is to be produced by South Korea’s Taewon Entertainment. It will be directed by Lee Jae-han, and scripted by Lee Man-hee, who both have war film experience with hit “71: Into the Fire”.

Although Chinese movies are increasingly incorporating Hollywood talent, it is rare in Korea. Neeson has had a career revival following box office success with “The Grey,” “Taken,” “Battleship” and “The Lego Movie.”

“Operation Chromite” focuses on the heroic Korean troopers who carried out the covert “X-ray” operation that preceded the Incheon landing operation in the Yellow Sea. The landing shifted the momentum of the Korean War.

“We plan to go into the production in late September with a production cost of 15 billion won (US$12.62 million),” Taewon boss Jeong Tae-won told news agency Yonhap. He expects to hold a promo event on Sept. 15, the anniversary of the Incheon Landing.

A company spokesperson told Variety that “Operation” is preparing to start shooting in the second half of this year, aiming to release it in the first half of 2016. Production will take place in South Korea, with Neeson flying in for filming.

Other roles have not been cast, though top stars Lee Jung-jae (“Assassination”), Hyun Bin (“The Fatal Encounter”) are known to have received the script for the role of the leader of the South Korean intelligence unit. Another, Lee Beom-su (“The Beauty Inside”) is being considered for the role of the North Korean elite officer.