Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, will be starring in and producing an English-language feature adaptation of Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s Hell Divers series, a dystopian sci-fi novel. Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Emmy Yu, and Jerome Chen will also be producing the film. The first three books of the series will serve as inspiration for the movie. J.P. Davis will be writing the screenplay, with no director attached yet.
Don Lee is a Korean actor known for his roles in Train to Busan, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, and The Roundup movies. He will be taking on the lead role of Xavier in Hell Divers. The story takes place two centuries after World War III has devastated the planet. The last remaining humans reside on airships that circle the globe, searching for a new habitable area. Most of these ships have crashed to Earth, leaving only two lifeboats to survive. The Hell Divers dive to the planet’s hostile surface to search for parts necessary to keep the remaining ships afloat. Xavier is a legendary Hell Diver at the center of the action.
Jerome Chen, an Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor and animation director, said, “As a longstanding fan of the books, I’m beyond excited to shepherd this adrenaline-filled story forth together with this great team of storytellers and see Don breathe his special brand of grit and emotion into the character of X.” Lee added, “We are thrilled to be joining Arad Productions and Jerome Chen as producers to adapt this iconic sci-fi novel, and I am honored and excited to bring the hardened but nuanced character of Xavier to life.” Ari Arad also expressed enthusiasm for Lee’s involvement, saying, “I couldn’t be more excited to have Don Lee join our Hell Divers team. His talent and charisma are undeniable, and I know that he will embody Xavier’s bravery and spirit in a way that will thrill audiences around the world.”
Lee is also set to star in a U.S. remake of the crime thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil at Paramount. He will produce that project alongside Chris S Lee, Billy Acumen, Sylvester Stallone, and Braden Aftergood. The Roundup: No Way Out, in which Lee starred, has been the top-grossing film in the Korean box office for the past three weekends, earning $70.2 million to date. It is the top movie of 2023 in the market. Its predecessor, The Roundup, was the most significant film of the previous year.
With the combined talents of the team behind Hell Divers and Lee’s unique brand of action, they hope to create an action-packed and gritty update on the post-apocalyptic genre that will appeal to a new generation of audiences. Don Lee is represented by B&C Content, The Gersh Agency, and attorney Stuart Rosenthal of GGSSC.