Asian-American Story Based on Maureen Goo’s YA Novel

Veteran Korean star Lee Byugnhun is stepping into a producer role on an upcoming Netflix film. The America-set romance I Believe in a Thing Called Love will be adapted from Maureen Goo’s YA novel of the same name, and Lee is also considering appearing in the project.

Lee will produce the film through his agency BH Entertainment with Charles Pak, as well as Goo and Mary Lee from A-Major Media. Yulin Kuang, who previously wrote Netflix’s The Healing Powers of Dude, has signed on to pen the adaptation. This is the second of Goo’s novel to be optioned by Netflix, following Somewhere Only We Know.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love follows teenager Desi, a student with top grades who attempts to convert the rules of K-drama romance into real life when she tries to woo her crush. Lee, who rose to stardom in K-drama romances in the late 1990s, is eyeing the role of Desi’s father.

Lee has been one of Korea’s biggest names for over two decades, known locally for A Bittersweet Life (2005), Masquerade (2012) and Inside Men (2015). He is also known internationally for his Hollywood forays, which include G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, RED 2 and The Magnificent Seven. Lee recently attended the Cannes Film Festival as part of the cast of the upcoming disaster film Emergency Declaration.