Netflix is Spending $50 Million on Bong Joon-ho's Monster Movie OKJA

Netflix established itself as a major player in the realm of streaming visual entertainment with shows like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards, and have continued to increase their overall quality as the years have gone on. In fact, I'd argue that Netflix already has enough original content to justify a subscription based on those properties alone, not even taking into consideration all of the thousands of other movies and TV shows that are available to watch.

The company jumped into features in a big way this year with Cary Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation (which I still haven't made time to sit down and watch), and now word comes from Variety that the streaming service is teaming with Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment to bring director Bong Joon-ho's (Snowpiercer, The Host) new monster movie Okja to life. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Kelly Macdonald, and Bill Nighy, and though it was originally described as a monster movie, Bong's statement about the movie makes it seem like there might not be the typical kind of carnage and destruction that fans normally associate with the genre:

“It is a bulky animal, but with a mild and kind spirit. The film is about a warm friendship between a country girl and a brute with stories,” he said. “To me, the crazy world surrounding Okja and the girl looks more like a monster. I want to depict the two characters’ bizarre journey and adventure across the tough world in an original fashion.”

Deadline claims Okja will have a budget of $50 million. That's a staggering amount for a film like this, and perhaps the coolest part is that Bong will have not only the budget he needs, but also complete creative control over the film. That's likely something that very much appealed to him after the threat of the Weinsteins cutting Snowpiercer to shreds last year. Filming begins in April of next year and is expected to arrive in theaters and on Netflix in early 2017.