Bloody Disgusting tracked down the first image of Song Kang-ho (The Host) playing a priest-turned-vampire in Park Chan-wook's Thirst.

After participating in a medical experiment in hopes of finding a cure for a deadly disease, Song Kang-ho's character suffers from tragic side effects that leave him tortured and hungry for blood.

It seems as if there is a lot of anticipation for Thirst as it marks the first time that a major U.S. studio has backed a Korean film prior to the film's completion. Between the success of Park Chan-wook's Vengeance trilogy (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance) and Joon-ho Bong's South Korean horror hit The Host, Universal is hopeful that their investment in the ever popular asian horror sub-genre will pay off.

While no release date has been set, word is that Universal is hoping to release the film in the U.S. around mid-2009.