Director Kim Byung-woo of 'The Universal Reader's Perspective' expressed his stance on changes made to the setting related to Yi Sun-sin.
On the morning of the 17th, a production report for the movie 'The Universal Reader's Perspective' was held at Lotte Cinema in Konkuk University, Seoul. The main cast, including Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin, Shin Seung-ho, Nana, and Director Kim Byung-woo, attended the event.
'The Universal Reader's Perspective' (Directed by Kim Byung-woo, provided by Lotte Entertainment and Smilegate, distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Realize Pictures Co., Ltd., co-produced by MYM Entertainment, Smilegate Realize, and The Present Company) is a fantasy action work where the world of a novel that has been serialized for over 10 years becomes reality on the day it is complete, and the only reader, Kim Reader (played by Ahn Hyo-seop), must survive in the collapsed world with the novel's protagonist, Yoo Jung-hyuk (played by Lee Min-ho), and his friends. With a production cost of approximately 30 billion won, this blockbuster has been completed following the popular web novel and the webtoon. This is the next work from Director Kim Byung-woo, who directed 'The Terror Live' (2013) and 'PMC: The Bunker' (2018) after seven years.
BLACKPINK's Jisoo played a high school student named Lee Ji-hye, who refers to Yoo Jung-hyuk as her master. Excluding her special appearance in the movie 'Doctor Cheon's Exorcist Research Institute: The Secret of Seol-gyeong' (2023), this is her first screen debut since her debut.
Recently, a trailer showed a character related to Yi Sun-sin, Lee Ji-hye, holding a gun instead of a sword symbolizing Yi Sun-sin, attracting attention. As the setting related to General Yi Sun-sin has changed, some original fans have expressed concerns that the historical content may have been lost.
Director Kim Byung-woo noted, "We made a 2-hour movie covering only a part of a very vast original work," and added, "From the perspective of visual action, many characters in the original use long swords. However, we decided that diversifying these elements and changing them visually could be beneficial."
He continued, "The character Lee Ji-hye is separated from the reader team, but we couldn't ignore her. At the most dramatic moment, there needed to be a mechanism for the character to explode, and after much consideration, this decision was made," and stated, "I fully understand that fans who love the original are concerned about this point through trailers and photos. Rather than lengthy explanations, I believe you will find it understandable through the movie."
Meanwhile, 'The Universal Reader's Perspective' is set to be released on July 23.
[Photo] Reporter Min Kyung-hoon
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