There's no stopping Lee Byung-hun in his pursuit of securing a job. The first trailer for Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice, released by Neon recently, showed the Squid Game actor taking on a sinister path wipe out his opponents in his way of getting an opportunity for himself.
In the nearly two-minute-long trailer, Lee Byung-hun's family is seen suffering from the aftermath of his unemployment. They reduce their activities, limit their expenses and what not to save their family from drowning in debt. In the meantime, we see the protagonist killing his competitors to help his chances of securing a job. The film promises to explore themes of capitalism while showcasing the director's strength in absurdist humour.
No Other Choice premiered at the Venice Film Festival, a first for Park Chan-wook in 20 years, and got a six-minute standing ovation for the twisted black comedy.
The film was recently selected by The Korean Film Council as the country's official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category.
In No Other Choice, Lee and Son are joined by Moving-fame Park Hee-soon, The Spy Gone North-fame Lee Sung Min, The Uprising-fame Cha Seung-won, Hospital Playlist-fame Yoo Yeon-seok, and The Glory-fame Yeom Hye-ran. The upcoming film is based on the 1997 Donald Westlake novel The Ax.
Park has backed No Other Choice alongside Back Jisun of Moho Film, and Michèle Ray Gavras and Alexandre Gavras of France's KG Productions. Miky Lee of CJ Group serves as executive producer while CJ ENM financed the project. The film is set for a limited theatrical release in December, during Christmas before its wider release in January.
The shortlist of movies selected for the upcoming Oscars will be announced on December 16 while the final five will be revealed on January 22, 2026.