Updates On French-Korean Film "Matin Calme," Starring Olga Kurylenko And Yoo Yeon-Seok

It was supposed to be a big ticket entry to this year's batch of major crossover movies.

Ukrainian-French actress Olga Kurylenko (you know her as Camille Montes, the Bond girl from from Quantum of Solace) and South Korea's Yoo Yeon-seok (Reply 1994, Mr. Sunshine, Hospital Playlist) were set to begin filming French-Korean mystery thriller Matin Calme months ago, but alas, COVID-19 came, and the film went straight to the back burner. 

To refresh your memory, Olga actually tested positive for COVID-19 in March. She made the worrying announcement when COVID-19 fears were at their highest, joining other Hollywood celebrities like Idris Elba and Tom Hanks plus his wife Rita Wilson in disclosing their health statuses.

Luckily, the actress hadn't traveled to South Korea—one of the world's first COVID-19 hotspots—just yet when she found out, and didn't have to stress over about isolating in a place far away from home or worse, putting cast and crew at risk. 

She recovered soon enough, stating that her only symptoms were fatigue and a manageable fever. 

Unfortunately for Olga and Yoo Yeon-seok, travel restrictions became the next hurdle for their film, and for a second time Matin Calme had to be put on hold even before it could even begin. Olga herself had declined to do any kind of work during the spring and summer in fear of re-infection and a potentially worse second diagnosis. 

Thinking that the movie would have to be scrapped for good, a sliver of hope came in July when South Korea begun to ease restrictions on what could and couldn't be done—including filming! 

Much to the delight of eager fans and despite a whole six month-long delay, Matin Calme has finally gotten the wheels turning and is officially beginning its production. Olga made it to Seoul a week ago and has seven days to go of mandatory quarantine before she can hit the set and share much-awaited hellos with everyone.

According to the actress, Matin Calme, which translates to calm morning, digresses from the mainstream and is rather experimental in its approach to familiar material. She plays a medical examiner who teams up with a Korean detective, played by Yoo Yeon-seok to investigate a mysterious death, only to learn that something more sinister is behind the disturbing discovery. 

Olga and Yoo Yeon-seok will be working with French director Denis Dercourt for the project. 

Olga, who began her career in show business as a model that transitioned to TV roles in the early 2000s, is more than excited to be a part of the film. 

She's talked about pride in a filmography that's peppered with international experiences and says she thrives in unfamiliar environments that would otherwise give most people a sense of unease and uncertainty. Matin Calme will be the first time Olga travels to this part of the world to film and is paired with an Asian lead.

We're definitely keeping our fingers crossed for filming to go on without issue, and for a release date to drop within the year!

Photos from @yoo_yeonseok @olgakurylenkoofficial