Leading French actor, Vincent Cassel has joined the cast of “Sovereign Default,” an upcoming Korean-made financial drama. The lead roles go to Korean stars Yoo Ah-in and Kim Hye-soo.

The film starts production this month through Zip Cinema. It is set for a release in Korean theaters by CJ Entertainment late in 2018.

Directed by Choi Kyun-hee, “Sovereign Default” is set during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. All the action takes place during a week when South Korea had to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund.

Yoo (“Veteran,” “The Throne”) plays an investor betting against the country, while Kim (“The Thieves,” “Tajja”) represents a senior financial analyst at the Bank of Korea. Cassel (“La Haine,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Black Swan”) portrays the head of the IMF.

Spackman Entertainment, which owns Zip Cinema and the talent agency that represents Yoo, said that the total budget including print & advertising costs is estimated at $8.6 million (KRW9.7 billion).

The Korean film industry has a recent history of casting foreign actors in key roles. Liam Neeson last year played in “Operation Chromite. Germany’s Thomas Kretschmann plays in this year’s “A Taxi Driver.” Both films were major hits at the box office and “Taxi” is set as Korea’s contender for the foreign-language Academy Awards.