Universal Pictures and Focus Features have taken on Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's currently-in-production vampire thriller Thirst.

According to Variety, it's the first time a Korean film has received U.S. studio coin and a Stateside distribution commitment before its local release.

Thirst stars Song Kang-ho (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Host, The Good the Bad and the Weird) and Shin Ha-kyun (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). Involving unusually risque elements, the film also stars Kim Ok-bi (Dasepo Naughty Girls) as leading lady.

The film is about a priest who participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease with traumatic repercussions.

It is scheduled to be completed in time for a festival bow in mid-2009.

Thirst was released July 31st, 2009 and stars Kang-ho Song, Ok-bin Kim, Hae-sook Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, In-hwan Park, Dal-su Oh, Young-chang Song, Mercedes Cabral. The film is directed by Chan-wook Park.