D-War (Korean: 디워), released in North America as D-War: Dragon Wars, also referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars, is a 2007 South Korean film written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae. It is a fantasy-action film that was its nation’s largest-budgeted as of 2007.
Director:
Hyung-rae Shim
Writer:
Hyung-rae Shim (writer)
Release Date:
14 September 2007 (USA)
Genre:
Action / Drama / Fantasy more
Tagline:
They’ve made our world their battleground
Plot Summary:
Based on the Korean legend, unknown creatures will return and devastate the planet. Reporter Ethan Kendrick is called in to investigate the matter, and he arrives at the conclusion that a girl, stricken with a mysterious illness, named Sarah is suppose to help him. The Imoogi makes its way to Los Angeles, wreaking havoc and destruction. With the entire city under arms, will Ethan and Sarah make it in time to save the people of Los Angeles?
Awards:
1 nomination
Production
Originally titled Dragon Wars (and still referred to by this title in publicity material), D-War has a long production history in South Korea. The film was announced in 2002 by director Shim Hyung-rae as his follow-up project to Yonggary. A show reel appeared in early 2003,[citation needed] showcasing the extensive amount of CGI the production would be using to create the various creatures. Despite heavy promotion via posters, press releases and videos, principal photography did not begin until October 2004, continuing through December.[citation needed] The budget was set at approximately $30 million,[5] or $33 million (30 million won), but ultimately came out with a $75 million dollar budget in order to create the various creatures in the film.[4]
As with Yonggary, Shim opted for a mostly American cast. Veteran actor Robert Forster landed a pivotal role and Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks were cast as the two young leads.
The next three years were spent creating the creature effects, all of which were done in house by Shim’s Younggu-Art Movies company. The completed film premiered at the American Film Market in early 2007. The film was released in South Korea on August 1, 2007. In the U.S., the film was released on September 14, 2007.
On August 7, 2007, South Korea’s MBC Morning Live TV Show broadcast the film’s final scene on TV without the permission of the studio, causing a controversy. A few days later the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a statement in which they said that the incident did not violate South Korean copyright laws.
Poster:
