Production company Hive Media Corp has officially unveiled the core cast for Inside Men: The Birth of Villains (working title), a live-action prequel project building upon Tae-ho Yoon's renowned webtoon original and its 2015 blockbuster film adaptation. Leading the new period thriller are prominent South Korean actors Ha Jung-woo, Ahn Bo-hyun, Park Hae-joon, and Jung Sung-il.
1980s Power Cartel
Set during the late 1980s, the upcoming story traces the initial formation of the shadowy alliance between corporate capital, print journalism, and political ambition that defined the original narrative. The prequel shifts focus toward the early moves that constructed South Korea's entrenched corrupt networks.
The central figures of this origin chapter include key character roles previously made famous in the 2015 film:
- Ha Jung-woo stars as Kang-hee Lee, an investigative reporter demoted after exposing corporate misconduct (played by Baek Yoon-sik in the 2015 movie).
- Ahn Bo-hyun portrays Sang-goo Ahn, an ambitious entertainment executive working his way up through backroom leverage (originally played by Lee Byung-hun).
- Park Hae-joon takes on Pil-woo Jang, a ruthless freshman politician maneuvering toward high-level government influence.
- Jung Sung-il plays Hyun-soo Oh, the chairman of Mirae Group aiming to solidify control over the emerging cartel.
While initial development plans framed the prequel as a feature film trilogy, Hive Media Corp's latest update omitted references to a three-part structure, leaving the definitive format of the project open. Creator Tae-ho Yoon—widely celebrated for seminal webtoons including Misaeng: Incomplete Life and Moss—originally penned the underlying webtoon as a gritty exploration of institutional bribery and personal vendettas.
