Beverly Hills Ninja 2 in the Works

Beverly Hills Ninja 2, a sequel to the 1997 action comedy starring Chris Farley, will film in South Korea starting next month, making it the first mainstream Hollywood movie to do so. 

According to Variety, local company ATM Motionwide said production will begin Oct. 6 on Jeju island before shifting to two lots at the Busan Film Studio. 

Sony Pictures Entertainment holds North American distribution rights. 

Mitch Klebanoff, a writer and co-producer of the original film, has scripted and will direct the sequel. The story involves an orphaned boy who wants to be a ninja but becomes involved in a crime in Hollywood while looking for his real parents. 

David Hasselhoff, Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") and Taiwanese model-turned-actress Lin Chiling (Red Cliff) are set to star in the sequel. 

70% of the film will shoot in South Korea, with 30% in the U.S. The project is scheduled to wrap its Korean shoot on Nov. 20 and continue Stateside until the end of December. Sony is eyeing a May release date in U.S. and June in South Korea.