Update: Jake Gyllenhal not in Vancouver. Has wrapped Okja.
South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s film Okja — about a girl Mika who tries to save her giant monster friend Okja from being kidnapped by a big bad corporation — starts filming its Vancouver leg this weekend. The sci-fi adventure began shooting in Seoul, Korea, from late April to mid-July and then New York City from mid-July to late July where the main cast seems to have been photographed daily in action. Okja stars Seo-Hyeon Ahn as Mija, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins as Red, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald, Steven Yuen (The Walking Dead’s Glenn) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) as Frank Dawson and Tilda Swinton (who played Mason in the director’s cult classic Snowpiercer) as Nancy Mirando.
Anyone else get the impression these two work for the Big Bad Corporation? Official Okja image.
Jake Gyllenhaal image.
Lily Collins. City of Bones image.
Okja is backed by streaming giant Netflix which launched in Korea this year. Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment is co-producing the film.
Okja’s production sign is EUCLID and has a prep crew parked under the south end of the Burrard Bridge right now. And another prep crew up at Britannia Beach near Squamish where filming is expected August 5th and 6th.
Okja should be filming in and around metro Vancouver until August 26th (date subject to change).
Okja will get a limited theatrical release and stream on Netflix in 2017.
Do you know if Steven Yeun will be filming in Vancouver?