Three new crime action films are being produced over the next year as prequels to 2015 Korean hit “Inside Men”.

Produced by Hive Media Corp, arguably the most successful Korean film producer of the 2020s (not to be confused with Hive Mediaworks or BTS talent agency and entertainment conglomerate Hybe), the films are co-directed by Kim Min-beom, previously assistant director on Hive Media’s 2023 political thriller and smash hit “12.12: The Day”, and Kim Jin-seok, who adapted Hive Media original series "Made in Korea".

The films trace the origins of the cartel of politicians, business tycoons, prosecutors and gangsters depicted in “Inside Men” as dominating modern South Korea.

While the original “Inside Men” film was set in the early 2010s, a Hive Media spokesman told ContentAsia that the first two films will be set in the early 1980s and be shot back-to-back through this summer.

Production of the third film, set in a later era, will likely not happen before 2027.

The 2015 film starred Lee Byung-hun (“Squid Game”), Cho Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik, was based on a webtoon of the same name by Yoon Tae-ho. It earned US$37 million and attracted some 7 million moviegoers into theatres and was one of the top five highest grossing films of the year.

Development of the prequel material has been ongoing for several years and was at one stage considered as a long-form series that would have starred Song Kang-ho (“Parasite”). That option has been shelved in favour of the theatrical movie trilogy.

The Hive spokesman said that the new films are conceived as being made on an “epic scale” and will likely have at least one A-list star.

While Korean film producers are currently struggling with anaemic theatrical audiences and rising costs, budgets for the news titles are expected to be “appropriate” to their ambition.

While many Korean producers have been forced into a slowdown due to the decline in theatrical business and are challenged by the rise of streaming platforms, Hive Media has seemingly thrived.

The company is headed by Kim Won-guk and has a trove of IP that Kim brought from his previous film distribution venture Daisy Entertainment.

In 2025, Hive Media delivered: espionage thriller “Harbin” which earned US$33 million at the local box office; crime comedy action film “Yadang The Snitch”, which earned US$25 million”; and action comedy “Boss”, which took US$16 million.

The company is now additionally set to begin filming of comedy drama “The Gardeners”, starring song Kang-ho, in April; “Assassin(s)”, a fact-based political thriller about a 1974 attempted presidential assassination. “Assassin(s)” is  directed by Hur Jin-ho (“One Fine Spring Day”, “April Snow” and Hive’s “A Normal Family”) and stars Lee Min-ho, Park Hae-il and Yoo Hae-jin.

Other near-term projects include the already-confirmed second season of “Made in Korea”, a Vietnamese remake of horror film “Gonjiam” and a U.S. remake of “Inside Men.” – By Patrick Frater