Famed filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming Hollywood debut “Snowpiercer” is already creating much buzz in the film industry, and looks to be one of the most anticipated Korean-foreign joint productions of the year.

The sci-fi film, jointly distributed by Korea’s CJ Entertainment and American film studio The Weinstein Company, features Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans and Jamie Bell, along with Korean heavyweight Song Kang-ho.

But “Snowpiercer” isn’t the only film that moviegoers should be excited about. A number of significant Korean-foreign joint productions are slated to be released this year, featuring some of the most popular Asian stars ― including Korean singer BoA, famed Hong Kong-based actress Michelle Yeoh, and Henry Lau, a member of one of Super Junior’s sub-groups, “Super Junior-M.”

Among them, celebrated K-pop star BoA is making her Hollywood debut this year, with the release of her upcoming Korean-U.S. joint production “Cobu 3D.” In the film, she stars with American dancer and actor Derek Hough. The dance film is inspired by Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet,” and features two young dancers as star-crossed lovers.

Meanwhile, Yeoh, who played Aung San Suu Kyi in Luc Besson’s 2011 film “The Lady,” is starring with Henry Lau in her upcoming film “Final Recipe.” The film is directed by Korean filmmaker Gina Kim, whose previous works include the 2007 romance “Never Forever,” which starred top Korean actor Ha Joeng-woo and American actress Vera Farmiga.

The film tells the story of young aspiring chef Mark (played by Henry Lau), who decides to participate in an international cooking contest in an attempt to save his grandfather’s restaurant from going out of business. Lau is a Hong Kong-Canadian, and is known to speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and English.

Meanwhile, Korean actress Kim Hyo-jin (“The Taste of Money,” “Life is Peachy”) is starring in Korean-Japanese joint film “Mumyeongin,” along with Japanese actor Hidetoshi Nishijima (“Sayonara Itsuka,” “Cut”). The film, whose title literally translates to “The Nameless Person,” is an adaptation of Japanese writer Tsukasaki Siro’s novel “Genome Hazard.” The mystery thriller tells the story of a Japanese man who one day realizes all of his memories aren’t his own but someone else’s. He soon realizes they were implanted in his brain by unknown forces. The film is also slated to be released this year, according to its local investor and distributor Lotte Entertainment.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)