Liam Neeson To Star As US military General Douglas MacArthur In New Korean War Movie

Actor Liam Neeson has been announced as playing US military General Douglas MacArthur in a new movie about the Korean War.

The movie, to be called Operation Chromite, is centred around the Battle of Inchon, which took place during the Korean War. The operation was undertaken in September 1950 just after the Korean War began.

The battle was planned and fought by a coalition of UN forces against invading North Korean Communist troops which had taken over the South Korean city of Incheon.

The entire Korean War took place over three years from 1950 to 1953. This early battle was a crucial win for the coalition and was an important part of gaining ground against the Communist troops.

The movie will look specifically at telling the story of eight South Korean soldiers who fought alongside the UN troops, as well as having a wider impact of turning the tide amongst the Communists prior to the main attack, the Stack Gamer reports.

The film is to be directed by Korean director John H. Lee, or Lee Jae-han as he is more well-known. The screenplay has been written by Lee Man-hee, who has worked together with Lee Jae-han on other Korean War focused projects including the drama ‘71: Into the Fire’.

The movie is being produced by local South Korean company Taewon Entertainment. Given so much Korean involvement there has been speculation over whether Liam Neeson’s role will be undertaken in Korean, however it is likely that he will speak English since he is playing an American military general. While it is thought that Korean speaking roles will be filmed by the actors speaking their own language.

It is quite unusual for American actors to take up roles in South Korean films, so it will be eagerly anticipated. Filming is expected to start in September 2015 and release is expected mid-2016 to coincide with the anniversary of 66 years since the start of the Korean War.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE