News

Lee Jung‑Jae starred in Il Mare, which was remade into Hollywood’s The Lake House (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Lee Jung-jae has been a household name in South Korea, but after Squid Game, he has shot to global fame. Fans are rediscovering the actor’s other notable words, and here’s one movie that you need to watch. It is a tale of fantasy and romance that spans two years, and has a letter box at the middle of it all. The movie is titled Il Mare. It was the first Korean film ever remade by a major American studio.

A romance across time and space in Il Mare

Il Mare tells a melancholic love story between two people separated not by distance but by time. Jun Ji‑hyun plays Eun‑joo, who moves out of a beach house named Il Mare and leaves a Christmas card in the mailbox. Lee Jung...

Speed (1994) will always be one of those movies that you will want to root for the main characters, despite their love story not being the center focus of the film. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves’ chemistry was off the charts, and when they finally returned for an actual romance film a few years later, it was as if they were blessing the entertainment industry.

Lake House is a fantasy romance, directed by Alejandro Agresti. It was released in 2006, and while it may not have great reviews from critics, fans of the genre hold it near and dear. However, did you know that the movie was actually inspired by one released years ago in South Korea?

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves’ underrated gem Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in The Lake House (2006) | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

First things first, The Lake House may not be the best thing either Sandra Bullock...

Keanu Reeves Once Called Kissing Sandra Bullock the ‘Most Memorable’ Part of Filming! ( Photo Credit – Facebook )

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock made for one refreshing pair on screen in Speed (1994) and The Lake House (2006). Both the actors confessed to having crushes on each other a few years ago; however, they never ended up dating. To date, fans have mourned the potential of what could be one of the most powerful couples in Hollywood.

Both of the top Hollywood stars, Bullock and Reeves, are known for their decorated film careers. Sandra gained unprecedented popularity with her roles in films like Speed, While You Were Sleeping, and A Time to Kill, while Reeves established himself as a bona fide movie star with The Matrix, The Devil’s Advocate, and John Wick.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves first starred together in 1994 film Speed, and their undeniable onscreen chemistry spurred dating rumors between the two screen icons.

Despite becoming famous on an international level just recently, though the huge success of “Squid Game” which also just netted him an Emmy, Lee Jung-jae has actually been popular in S. Korea for decades, having a career that started in the 90s, and came to include a number of the most successful blockbusters in the country, not to mention a couple of masterpieces. As a tribute to a great actor, and on the occasion of the Emmy, we decided to make a list of 10 of his works that definitely deserve a look, in chronological order.

1. An Affair (1998) by Lee Jae-yong

The story focuses on Seo-hyun, a late-thirties housewife who has a settled life, a successful architect husband and a loving son. Her day is a set of routines, which is all thrown into disarray by the arrival of Woo-in, her younger sister’s fiancé. When her sister misses her flight from LA to Seoul,...

Nip/Tuck star Dylan Walsh has joined the cast of Il Mare for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow. Walsh will play Morgan in the film, which stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and is loosely based on the Korean hit Siworae. Walsh steps into the role for which John Corbett had been announced. Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ebon-Moss Bachrach, Willeke van Ammelrooy and Christopher Plummer also star. Il Mare, which is shooting in Chicago, is directed by Alejandro Agresti and produced by Doug Davison and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. Vertigo's Sonny Mallhi is co-producer. The executive producers are Mary McLaglen, Erwin Stoff, Robert Kirby and Bruce Berman. The screenplay is by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn (Proof). Repped by UTA, manager Bob McGowan and attorney Rick Genow, Walsh has appeared in films including We Were Soldiers. He is shooting David Mamet's latest feature, Edmond, with William H. Macy and Julia Stiles.

Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, John Corbett and Ebon Moss-Bachrach have joined the cast of Il Mare (working title) for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow. They join Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Christopher Plummer in the picture, which is based on the 2000 Korean romance/sci-fi feature, Siworae. The story revolves around two people (Reeves and Bullock) who fall in love via a mysterious mailbox. Aghdashloo is set to play Bullock's medical colleague and confidante. Corbett will star as Bullock's former fiance. Moss-Bachrach will play Reeves' younger brother.

Christopher Plummer has joined the cast of Warner Bros. Pictures' Il Mare, which Argentinian helmer Alejandro Agresti is directing. Plummer will play the father of Keanu Reeves' character in the film, which co-stars Sandra Bullock. Il Mare is a remake of a Korean film, Siworae, which also was released under the title Il Mare. The new film is being produced by Doug Davison and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. Village Roadshow is co-financing the movie. A romantic comedy, Il Mare revolves around a lonely doctor (Bullock) and a frustrated architect (Reeves) who live in the same house, only two years apart. They fall in love via letters they exchange through a mailbox that mysteriously links the two of them. Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn wrote the script. Mary McLaglen will executive produce, and manager-producer Erwin Stoff will get an unspecified production credit. Plummer's recent credits include Alexander and National Treasure. He is represented by ICM.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have signed on to star in Il Mare for Warner Bros. Pictures. The project will mark the first reteaming of the actors since their 1994 action thriller Speed. A remake of the Korean feature Siworae, which also has been known by the title Il Mare, the romantic drama follows a lonely doctor (Bullock) who begins exchanging love letters with a frustrated architect (Reeves), but they then discover they are separated in time by two years. Based on a screenplay by David Auburn (Proof), Il Mare will be directed by Argentinean helmer Alejandro Agresti (Valentin) and produced by Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment. Erwin Stoff also will receive a production credit. The executive producer is Mary McLaglen. Il Mare is set to begin production in March in Chicago and will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. Reeves has appeared in Warners' The Matrix trilogy and will be seen in the upcoming Warners release Constantine. Bullock, another Warners mainstay, stars in the upcoming Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Both actors are repped by CAA.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have signed on to star in Il Mare for Warner Bros. Pictures. The project will mark the first reteaming of the actors since their 1994 action thriller Speed. A remake of the Korean feature Siworae, which also has been known by the title Il Mare, the romantic drama follows a lonely doctor (Bullock) who begins exchanging love letters with a frustrated architect (Reeves), but they then discover they are separated in time by two years. Based on a screenplay by David Auburn (Proof), Il Mare will be directed by Argentinean helmer Alejandro Agresti (Valentin) and produced by Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment. Erwin Stoff also will receive a production credit. The executive producer is Mary McLaglen. Il Mare is set to begin production in March in Chicago and will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. Reeves has appeared in Warners' The Matrix trilogy and will be seen in the upcoming Warners release Constantine. Bullock, another Warners mainstay, stars in the upcoming Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Both actors are repped by CAA.