EXCLUSIVE: Korean studio Lotte Entertainment is co-financing and selling Asian territories on The Last Knights, starring Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman, marking its first move into English-language product.

Directed by Japanese filmmaker Kazuaki Kiriya, the US-Korean production started shooting in Prague in November 2012 for delivery in the fourth quarter of this year.

The story revolves around a band of warriors avenging the loss of their master at the hands of a corrupt emperor. The cast also features Japanese actor Tsuyoshi Ihara and Korean actors Ahn Sung-ki and Park Si-yeon. 

US-Korean company Luka Production is producing with Route One Films, a US-based finance and production outfit founded by Jay Stern (Rush Hour series), Russell Levine and Chip Diggins. Bill Johnson’s IF Entertainment is handling sales for non-Asian territories while CAA is handling the US.

The action drama is the first project from the Sovik Global Contents Investment Fund, launched in 2011 to finance international projects with Korean involvement. Lotte is a partner in the fund but also invested separately in The Last Knights. The Sovik fund has also invested in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer and action thriller The Claim to be directed by Mathieu Kassovitz.