 |
| ▲ These photos, provided by each distributor, show poster for the upcoming films. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ These photos, provided by each distributor, show poster for "Smugglers" and "1947 Boston," respectively. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) – A full list of South Korean films that have been put on hold due to the pandemic will finally make their way to the theater one after another.
The film “Count,” starring South Korean actor Jin Seon-kyu, will first hit the box office, followed by “My Puppy,” and “The Devil's Deal” released sequentially starting next month.
“Count,” which will be screened in Feb., will tell the story of Si-heon, played by Jin Seon-kyu, a high school physical education teacher – a former gold medalist – teaching students boxing. Headed by Jin Seon-kyu, a cluster of veteran South Korean actors Sung Yu-bin, Oh Na-ra, and Ko Chang-seok will be joining the cast.
Director Kwon Hyuk-jae, who was in charge of the adaptation of the smash-hit film “Haeundae” (2009), finished shooting earlier in June 2020; the film is finally presented to the moviegoers two and a half years since the last camera rolled.
“My Puppy” and “The Devil's Deal,” both films which started shooting between May and June of 2020, will be hitting the big screen in March.
“My Puppy,” helmed by Kim Joo-hwan of “Midnight Runners” (2017) and starring Cha Tae-hyun and Yoo Yeon-seok, will be released on Mar. 1. Min-su, played by Yoo Yeon-seok, who is about to get married, goes on a journey to find his cousin Jin-guk, played by Cha Tae-hyun, and his dog Rooney.
“The Devil's Deal” will be a star-dubbed period action film, starring Cho Jin-woong, Lee Sung-min, and Kim Moo-yeol. The film will depict the confrontation and cooperation between the three veteran actors over holding a confidential document that may violently shake the nation to its foundations with Busan in 1992 in the background. Director Lee Won-tae, known as the director of “The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil,” was in charge of producing.
Cho Jin-woong plays Hae-yong, the forever candidate for the National Assembly; Lee Sung-min plays Soon-tae, the hidden influential figure in the political arena, and Kim Moo-yeon will play the gangster Pil-do.
In addition to these three, there are several films that have confirmed their release dates early on.
Director Ryu Seung-wan’s “Smugglers” will be hitting the big screen this summer, the forevermore peak season in theaters, followed by director Kang Je-kyu’s “1947 Boston” released in Sept, during the Chuseok holidays.
“Smugglers” is directed by Director Ryu, who gave a push to the South Korean movie industry by attracting 3.61 million audiences with “Escape from Mogadishu” released in July 2021 when the pandemic was in full swing.
Kim Hye-soo, Yeom Jung-ah, Jo In-sung, and Park Jung-min will appear in this upcoming crime action-packed film that tells the story of people who became involved in smuggling on a peaceful beach.
Starring Ha Jung-woo and Im Si-wan, “1947 Boston” illustrates the story of the first Korean athletes to participate in the Boston International Marathon since Korea was liberated from Japanese colonization. Director Kang Je-gyu, who is frequently acknowledged as a director with a 10 million audience since his film “Taegukgi” (2004), directed this blockbuster movie.
With a list of films waiting to be hitting the box office in a row, there are also expectations that other films piled up in the warehouse due to the pandemic may be added to the list.
An official from a multiplex said, “It has been this industry’s nature for an array of small-budget films to set their release dates to and fro the release of a tentpole film,” adding, “I now expect more moviegoers will visit the theaters if more Korean films find the guts to hit the big screen.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
