Kill Boksoon may appear to be the female version of John Wick, except with a daughter instead of a dog, but director Byun Sung-hyun has a unique inspiration for his world-building. Netflix's new action film, arriving on March 31, is set in a version of South Korea that's home to countless "killing agencies" that raise assassins from youth to be the number one hitman in the industry. Protagonist Gil Boksoon (played by acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon) currently holds that title, but when she breaks the sacred rules on an assignment, she suddenly falls from her pedestal and becomes a target herself.
During a roundtable interview about Kill Boksoon, the filmmaker spoke to Screen Rant about his inspiration for creating an alternate universe in which assassins are a large-scale business in South Korea with strict rules to follow and alliances made between companies. Here's what he had to say:
Byun Sung-hyun: The world of killers and killer companies is nothing new since the John Wick series, from which I personally drew inspiration. I thought to myself, if there's nothing new to the world, then what can I add on to that? I wanted to draw a parallel between the killer industry and the Korean entertainment and film industry.
As for the comedic aspects of it, because our film speaks to irony, I wanted to bring in comedic elements when what was being dealt with in the scene was the most serious, and vice versa. Where there's a lot of comedy going on, I wanted to portray some of the heavier issues through that.
How Kill Boksoon's Killing Agencies Create Effective World-Building
Between the Baba Yaga backstory and The Continental, it's easy to see why John Wick is considered a masterclass in world-building for its genre, but Kill Boksoon's setting allows it to draw from very different sources to set itself apart. The Korean entertainment industry that Byun alludes to is a very interesting lens through which to view the killing agency, MK Ent., to which Boksoon belongs. After all, they recruit children with promises of "debut" (aka, being sent on their first official assassination mission) and look up to their seniors as one would a beloved actor or idol.
Sol Kyung-gu plays Cha Min-kyu, the CEO of MK Ent. and Boksoon's personal mentor, and his hold over the industry is worthy of a spinoff film in and of itself. But the character that best encapsulates the subtle parallel in Kill Boksoon is Kim Yeong-ji (Lee Yeon, who coincidentally played a younger version of Jeon Do-yeon in Crash Course in Romance). Currently a trainee in the company, she sees Boksoon as her personal idol, and is herself faced with the decision to remain loyal to the industry that raised her or to the woman that inspires her.
Kill Boksoon will be available to stream on Netflix on March 31.