Production work for the US$10 million (S$14.4 million) Host 2 film begins today after the signing of a production agreement between homegrown Boku Films, Korea's Chungeorahm Films and the Media Development Authority (MDA).

Host 2 will be jointly-produced by renowned Korean producer Choi Yong-Bae of Chungeorahm Films and award-winning Singapore filmmaker Kelvin Tong of Boku Films.

It is scheduled for a 2011 release.

The Host, which was released in 2006, attracted 13 million admissions in Korea and remains the highest-grossing Korean film of all time. It was sold to 134 countries and grossed US$90 million worldwide.

Other investors of Host 2 are SK Telecom and the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA), a government agency that promotes content development in Korea.

More than just a creative partnership, Host 2 is the first Singapore-Korea co-production and comes after the sealing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2007 between MDA and KOCCA that called for both parties to support co-productions with the potential to become successful Asian content projects.

Said Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer of MDA: "The Host is a well-known and proven box office success. Having Boku Films and Chungeorahm onboard the project is an excellent opportunity for Singapore and Korean producers to work together to lend a new Asian touch to the genre.

"Talents like Kelvin Tong will be able to bring their perspectives and contributions to bear on the project, to produce content that will resonate with a global audience."

KOCCA recently announced that it would support production company Chungeorahm and its CGI partner Macrograph to research and develop CGI for Host 2.

Na Moon-sung, head of KOCCA's Cultural Technology department expects the project to be comparable to overseas films in terms of visual quality as well as production efficiency. He also believes the project will raise the overall level of the Korean CGI industry.

Mr Kelvin Tong said: "The Host was a huge hit all over the world when it was released in 2006 and all eyes will be on its sequel. We have a lot to live up to but I am confident that the Korean and Singapore creatives working on this epic project will deliver a movie of monstrous proportions."

Chungeorahm Film's chief executive, and producer Mr Choi Yong-Bae is confident that the collaboration will develop Host 2 into the best Asian creature movie ever, and welcomes the opportunity to strengthen the ties between the Korean and Singapore film industries.

Host 2 is currently being scripted. It is scheduled to go into production in 2010. The director and the cast are yet to be confirmed.