Kim Woo Bin's 'The Technicians' Will Have A Sequel

Fans of the film "The Technicians" aka "The Con Artists" may be pleased to hear that a sequel is in the works.

According to the Korean media outlet MBN News, the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group is investing approximately $12 million into the action thriller's sequel.

It is not yet known whether the original film's leading actors will have a role in the sequel even though the film's box office success may be at least partly due to their participation. The original heist film starred Kim Woo Bin, Lee Hyun Woo, Go Chang Suk and Jo Yoon Hee.

Meanwhile, "The Technicians" enjoyed moderate success in the domestic box office, reaching 2.6 million viewers when it was released in Korea in December 2014. The film was also released in the U.S. in January 2015, followed by limited runs in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. The film earned $18.5 million in the U.S.

In the original film, an ace safecracker, played by Kim Woo Bin, teamed up with a veteran counterfeiter, played by Go Chang Suk. He introduced the ambitious safecracker to a  genius hacker, played by Lee Hyun Woo. They form a team to pull off some high-end heists. The team does manage to steal diamonds from a high-end jewelry store but they are caught by the company's president. To pay back their crime, the president tells them that they must pull off a heist in the almost impenetrable Korea Customs Center. Such a heist has never been done but if anyone can do it, it's this team.

Much of the film's popular success could be attributed to the participation of popular star Kim Woo Bin. "The Technicians" was only his second film role as he previously appeared in the 2013 film "Friend: The Great Legacy," but he is well known from his roles in the dramas "School 2013" with Lee Jong Suk and "The Heirs" with Lee Min Ho.

Trinity Entertainment will produce "The Technicians 2.″  Park Hong Soo, who directed the film "Commitment," will direct the sequel.