CJ Entertainment has announced that Joel David Moore (Avatar, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) has been tapped to direct the company’s remake of the 2013 hit Korean social horror-thriller Hide and Seek.
Moore, who most recently directed the dramedy Youth in Oregon starring Frank Langella, Billy Crudup and Christina Applegate, will write an adapted feature English-language screenplay for Hide and Seek in addition to directing.
The film is described as a social horror-thriller that builds upon themes related to the widening gap between the upper 1% and the lower class. It follows a man searching for his long-lost brother who stumbles upon a secret world of squatters living in the homes of unsuspecting tenants – a revelation that becomes all the more menacing when his home becomes the next target.
“Hide and Seek is a sharp, sophisticated thriller that created a lasting imprint on me,” said Joel David Moore. “I wanted to explore what could happen if we retold this story to an American audience, using the tools from the original story. We found a rich and complex world, relevant to our current race, class and power struggles we’re seeing here in America. I’m excited to partner with CJ Entertainment, perfect partners on this journey.”
The original film was directed by Huh Jung and saw release in 2013, where it grossed over $35 million with 5.6 million admissions in Korea.
Originally published December 14, 2017. Updated April 19, 2018.
