‘Veteran’ sequel 'I, the Executioner' to premiere at Cannes

The action film “I, the Executioner” will be unveiled for the first time at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival on May 20.

The action film “I, the Executioner” will be unveiled for the first time at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival on May 20. [FESTIVAL DE CANNES]

The action film “I, the Executioner” will be unveiled for the first time at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival on May 20. “I, the Executioner” is the sequel to “Veteran” (2015), a film considered to be groundbreaking for the Korean crime action genre.

The executive committee of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival announced in April that the film will join the Midnight Screening category. The Midnight Screening section is a section that screens a small number of works that have both artistic merit and popularity among genre films, including action, fantasy, horror, noir and thriller.

As the sequel to "Veteran," which attracted 13.41 million viewers, it was invited as the only Korean film for this year’s festival. It was also the first Korean blockbuster franchise film to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival.

“I, the Executioner” is an action crime investigation drama in which a young detective named Park Sun-woo, played by Jung Hae-in, joins the violent crime investigation team of veteran detective Seo Do-chul, played by Hwang Jung-min.

Veteran (2015) [CJ ENM]

Director Ryoo Seung-wan said, "It is an honor to present the very special ‘I, the Executioner’ at the Cannes International Film Festival, a festival for filmmakers around the world."

"I think the honor is the result of the collaboration between the actors and the production team that made ‘I, the Exectioner’ shine. I look forward to the day when I unveil the film in front of global audiences, following 'Veteran,' which was loved in Korea."

For Hwang, "I, the Executioner" is the fourth film to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival, following "A Bittersweet Life" (2005), "The Wailing" (2016) and "The Spy Gone North" (2018). Jung, who is new to the series, will be on the red carpet at the festival for the first time in his life.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]