Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex has announced it is investing in, distributing and selling Save The Green Planet director Jang Joon-hwan’s highly-anticipated second film Hwayi, starring Kim Yun-seok (The Thieves).

Jang made his debut with the humorous sci-fi thriller Save The Green Planet in 2003, a film that went to the Toronto International Film Festival, but foundered unexpectedly at the local box office. The film has become something of a cult favorite since then and the director’s comeback has been much-anticipated.

Hwayi is a thriller about a 16-year-old boy of the same name who is raised by five criminal fathers to become a perfect killer. It takes pulling the trigger to discover his true identity after he realises the mystery surrounding his past and his fate.

Up-and-coming star Yeo Jin-goo, from the TV series The Moon that Embraces the Sun, plays Hwayi. The cast also included Cho Jin-woong (Nameless Gangster: Rules of The Time), Jang Hyun-sung, Kim Sung-kyun and Park Hae-joon.

The film started shooting earlier this week. NowFilms is producing with delivery due in the third quarter of 2013. Showbox is handling worldwide sales.