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Actor Jo Jung-suk, often dubbed a “July box office guarantee,” is set to return to theaters this summer with the upcoming film My Daughter is a Zombie, opening July 30.

Jo has earned his nickname thanks to the commercial success of his July releases, including Exit (9.42 million admissions) in 2019 and Pilot (4.71 million admissions) last year. Speaking at the My Daughter is a Zombie production press conference held at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall on June 30, Jo said, “It’s not easy for three major films to be released in the peak summer season with me in the lead. I’m starting to think maybe I’m just lucky.”

My Daughter is a Zombie is based on a popular webtoon of the same name. In the film, Jo plays Jung-hwan, a doting father who secretly begins intense training to protect his daughter Soo-ah (played by Choi Yu-ri) after she turns into a zombie.

Asked about what drew him to the role, Jo said, “When I read the script and saw the character Jung-hwan, I thought, ‘That’s me.’ The story was so entertaining even just on paper—I had no reason to turn it down.”

Director Pil Gam-seong, who helms the project, shared that he had been a fan of Jo since seeing him in musicals in the early 2000s. “I wrote this script with Jo in mind,” he said. “I believed he was the perfect actor to portray both the

comedic and deeply emotional moments of the story. When he agreed to join the project, I was absolutely thrilled.”

The film also reunites Parasite castmates Lee Jung-eun and Jo Yeo-jeong. Character actor Yoon Kyung-ho, known for his comedic charm, also joins the cast. Lee Jung-eun plays Bamsun, Jung-hwan’s mother and Soo-ah’s grandmother. “I’ve been playing elderly roles since my 20s in theater, so I’m happy to bring that experience into this film,” she said.