Gangs of London Director Kim Hong-sun Shoots Joseon-Era Action Film The Hit List
Kim Hong-sun, the director behind Season 3 of Gangs of London, is making a new film. It is a martial arts revenge story set in Korea's Joseon era, the dynasty that ruled from 1392 to 1897. Variety reported the project on 9 November 2026, and cameras started rolling in October.
The film is called The Hit List. Jung Woo-sung plays Han Myeong-hoe, a powerful fixer who backs Grand Prince Suyang in his bid to take the throne from his young nephew. Wi Ha-jun plays Suyang. Jung Sung-il also stars, according to the Korean outlet Zapzee, and Choi Gwi-hwa is in the main cast.
The story follows Baek E-hwa, who loses everything to Han and gives her life over to revenge. Jang Gil-do plays Han's right-hand man, a fearsome warrior. Korean broadcaster SBS describes the film as a hard-boiled, bloody historical action picture centred on Han.
The source material is a webtoon, a comic series read on phones, published by Kakao. Variety says it has drawn more than 120 million views. Adapting a comic with that kind of readership is a common route for Korean films and series, and it gives a production a built-in audience before the first frame is shot.
Behind the camera, Lars Cox is director of photography, the person who decides how each shot is framed and lit. Kieran Waites is gaffer, the chief electrician who runs the lighting crew. Cheum Film, Studio Take, Library Company and B&C Group are producing, and Mascot Company is presenting the film.
South Korean sales company Finecut unveiled the project. A sales company sells a film to cinemas and streaming services in other countries, so its role is to find buyers before and after release. For Finecut, The Hit List is its second project with Kim. The first was Project Wolf Hunting.
That earlier film premiered in the Midnight section of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. Toronto's Midnight section is a home for genre films with a rough edge, and Project Wolf Hunting went on to reach audiences in more than 70 countries, according to Variety. Kim's earlier work includes Traffickers (2012), The Con Artists (2014), The Chase (2017) and Metamorphosis (2019). Variety also reports that Kim has signed with the talent agency WME.
What stands out is the repeat partnership. A director, a sales company and a film festival have already worked together once, and now they are making a second film with a larger historical setting and a cast of major Korean actors. Filming is under way, and the next public milestones will be set by the producers and sales company.
