"The script hasn't even come out yet." Director Jang Jae-hyun of the film 'Exhuma' strongly denied rumors that actor Yoo Ah-in would appear in his forthcoming project.
On the morning of the 17th, news surfaced that Yoo Ah-in would appear in director Jang Jae-hyun's new project, working title 'Vampire'. According to one media outlet, Yoo Ah-in had been chosen as the male lead for 'Vampire', which is set to begin filming in the second half of next year.
Yoo Ah-in was effectively inactive as an actor after he was embroiled in drug charges and stood trial in 2022. The Netflix series released last year, Goodbye Earth, and this year's films Victory and High Five were all projects Yoo Ah-in had filmed before the drug controversy. If his appearance is confirmed, 'Vampire' would be his first project since the controversy.
Moreover, director Jang Jae-hyun's last film, Exhuma, became a box-office hit, making him one of Chungmuro's top star directors. That raised interest in whether the new film by the star director would be Yoo Ah-in's comeback.
However, a representative of Yoo Ah-in's agency UAA told OSEN, "Nothing has been decided yet," expressing an officially cautious stance.
Additionally, in a phone call with OSEN, director Jang Jae-hyun drew a line, saying, "It is true that I am preparing a new project with the working title 'Vampire'. But the claim that actor Yoo Ah-in will appear is completely untrue."
He said, "The script itself isn't out yet. We have never formally offered a role to actor Yoo Ah-in," and explained, "It is true that I recently asked how he has been. We discussed his future schedule to some extent, but an entirely different story seems to have spread. He said he wanted to stay quiet without a schedule for about a year."
Director Jang Jae-hyun added about the new project 'Vampire', "The script is neither completed nor written. Only a synopsis exists, the production company has not been decided and we are still in talks. I'm cautious because things could change. Personally, I expect the work period to last until the year after next."
Director Jang Jae-hyun made his commercial feature debut with 'The Priests', which starred Kim Yoon-seok and Gang Dong-won and dealt with a Catholic exorcist priest. He went on to present 'Svaha', about tracking a cult sect starring Lee Jung-jae and Park Jung-min, and then Exhuma, which linked folk beliefs and feng shui, consecutively showcasing an occult series and earning praise for a solid artistic vision. Among these, 'Vampire' is reported to be a vampire story inspired by Dracula, set against the backdrop of the Russian Orthodox Church. Expectations are growing that it will be Jang Jae-hyun's new occult piece.
From September 2020 until March 2022, Yoo Ah-in was found to have been illegally prescribed propofol and sleeping pills, and in January 2022 he was reported to have smoked marijuana in the United States, leading to charges of violating the Act on the Control of Narcotics. After roughly two years of trials, he was sentenced last year to one year in prison and fined 2 million won and was detained, but after appeals up to the Supreme Court he received a final sentence of one year in prison, two years of suspended execution, and a fine of 2 million won.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]