Korean Webtoon ‘Knuckle Girl Set As FemaleLed Amazon Original Film
Korean crime drama “Knuckle Girl” is being adapted as an original film for Amazon Prime Video. It was built as a Korean-Japanese joint venture.
The story revolves around Rani, an aspiring boxer who faces bullies at school and gets involved in illegal fights. When her sister is kidnapped by a criminal gang, Ran must risk her life by breaking into the underworld using brass knuckles instead of boxing gloves.
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It is directed by Jang, a Korean director of the same name whose film The Goal premiered in the North section of Cannes in 2014. The screenplay is by Yoo Geap Yeol, whose “State of Emergency” premiered at Cannes in 2021, and Jon Byung Sik (“The Villain”), who wrote the screenplay.
Despite its Korean origins, the film stars Japanese actress Miyoshi Iyaka, who rose to fame in the 2010 film Confession and starred in two seasons of Netflix's Japanese dystopian thriller Alice in Wonderland. He reportedly underwent six months of martial arts training for this role.
“This is a global project involving a writer, Japanese actors and global OTT. "The exciting story, sensual direction and passionate performances of the actors will allow you to experience many different types of entertainment from cartoons on the Internet," Chang said.
Webtoons - digital comics that typically scroll vertically and are optimized for viewing on smartphones - have become a source of intellectual property for the Korean film and television industry.
“Knuckle Girl” was created by Jong Sang Yeon and first released in 2014 on KakaoPage, which is owned by Kakao Entertainment, part of Korean entertainment technology giant Kakao. It was later released on Japanese animation site Piccoma Kakao Entertainment.
Kakao, which began as an Internet browser, has grown into the dominant messaging service in Korea through acquisitions and organic growth and, through its subsidiary Melon, the dominant music genre in Korea. Due to the popularity of Korean entertainment and pop culture, the Kakao Entertainment division has expanded into talent shows and film and television productions.
Armed with cash flows from Saudi Arabia, Kakao defeated BTS backer Hybe Corp this year. in a $1 billion bid to buy leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment.
“Knuckle Girl” is produced by Kakao Entertainment’s Kross Pictures.
“This is our first live-action original webcomic and our first Japanese-Korean collaboration,” said an Amazon Studios representative. The film will be uploaded to Prime Video on November 2nd.
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