If you haven't noticed, Netflix isn't content with merely being the little brother to the bigger TV and movie studios. Instead, they're trying to tear down the status quo and establish themselves as the alpha dog, which is why you see them hitting on Netflix original series such as "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" and "Daredevil." It's also why Netflix is dipping a toe into the feature film pool.
Following the positive response to Cary Fukanaga's "Beast of No Nation" and their quick acquisition of Nicholas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon," Netflix has already made another bold move in their movie making department. The streaming service will finance "Snowpiercer" director Bong Joon-Ho's monster movie, "Okja."
Deadline reports that "Okja" will cost the streaming service a whopping $50 million (chump change to a major Hollywood studio but a significant investment for the smaller scale streaming service). Joon-Ho shot "Snowpiercer" for $40 million which went on to gross $80 million worldwide.
Bong describes the film as less of a monster movie and more of an intimate pairing:
"The film is about a warm friendship between a country girl and a brute with stories. To me, the crazy world surrounding Okja and the girl looks more like a monster. I want to depict the two characters' bizarre journey and adventure across the tough world in an original fashion."
That synopsis sounds relatively similar to Joon-Ho's previous movie, "The Host," which was met with widespread praise. The Korean filmmaker has proven to be a master of tension and someone who is adept at building a sharply defined world with escalating stakes. His deal with Netflix, which also includes funding from Brad Pitt's Plan B, provides the director with what he called "complete creative freedom."
"Okja" boasts an impressive cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald (collectively, this group has . Not only could Joon-Ho's second English-language film be a game changer for the way we approach cinema in the United States, but it could also be a major launching pad for Netflix's Korean service which is set to begin in 2016.
"Okja" is scheduled to begin production next year and be released sometime in 2017.
