Bong Joon-Ho to produce immigrant drama 'Sea Frog' for Participant Media

The project is based on Bong's 2014 production "Haemoo", which was South Korea's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2015 Oscars. The original film, which was directed by Shim Sung Bo from a script he wrote with Bong, follows a fishing-boat crew on a dangerous commission to smuggle a group of undocumented immigrants from China to Korea.

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho has joined Participant Media's immigrant drama "Sea Frog" as a producer. The project is based on Bong's 2014 production "Haemoo", which was South Korea's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2015 Oscars.

The original film, which was directed by Shim Sung Bo from a script he wrote with Bong, follows a fishing-boat crew on a dangerous commission to smuggle a group of undocumented immigrants from China to Korea. Matt Palmer, best known for 2018 thriller "Calibre", is writing and directing the English-language version based on a previous draft by Oren Moverman, according to Deadline.

"Participant makes films that explore the realities of our time, and director Matt Palmer reveals people’s true natures by putting them in extreme situations as he did in the superb crime thriller 'Calibre'," Bong said. "I can’t contain my excitement and anticipation to collaborate with this team on the newborn 'Sea Fog'," he added.

Earlier this year, the filmmaker created history after his movie "Parasite" became the first foreign-language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards. The film also scooped Oscars in original screenplay, international film and directing for Bong, first ever for an Asian.