Variety reports a rather interesting piece of international movie news, the gist of which is this: "DreamWorks will release "Typhoon," the most expensive Korean film ever made, in North America next year.

It has pacted with South Korean major CJ Entertainment for the multilanguage pic, helmed by K.T. Kwak, about a modern-day pirate planning a massive attack on North and South Korea.

Pic is the first Korean feature released by a U.S. major.

Shot on location in Thailand, Korea and Russia, "Typhoon" has earned a record 1.8 million admissions, totaling $11.1 million, in Korea over its first five days of release, despite a cool reception from local critics.

"Typhoon" has an officially stated budget of $15 million, but it is rumored to be several million dollars higher. It features local star Jang Dong-gun, who also appears in Chen Kaige's "The Promise," which posted a record-setting bow in China the weekend of Dec. 16."