Actor Yoo Ah-in will appear in Vampir. Alongside the risk of Yoo Ah-in's "drug controversy," the public's cold reaction continues over Vampir's tentative, 'testing the waters' response.
OSEN confirmed that actor Yoo Ah-in will appear in director Jang Jae-hyun's new film Vampir (working title). Vampir is a vampire film inspired by Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, telling the story of a hunter who hunts vampires and a bride. Actor Yoo Ah-in will appear as the hunter, Lee Sung-min as the bride, and popular rising star Yoon Kyung-ho, who has been enjoying recent box office success, is reported to be joining the cast.
Vampir is currently in the planning and pre-production stage, aiming to finish casting and investment and distribution procedures and begin filming as early as Oct. However, as news of Yoo Ah-in's participation was reported ahead of the first shoot, calls for boycotts have spread among the public.
Rumors of Yoo Ah-in's appearance in Vampir have been raised steadily since Dec. Lasting three years since his last project, if the appearance is confirmed it would be his first comeback, drawing much attention. At the time, his former agency UAA said, "Nothing has been decided yet," while director Jang Jae-hyun told OSEN in a phone call that Yoo Ah-in's participation "is not true" and that "he has never formally requested the actor," drawing a clear line.
He explained, "It is true that I asked how he has been doing recently. We shared some future schedules, but very different stories seem to have spread. (Yoo Ah-in) said he wanted to live quietly without a schedule for about a year."
Yoo Ah-in was involved in controversy after it became known that from Sept. 2020 to Mar. 2022 he habitually used propofol and received illegal prescriptions for sleeping pills, and in Jan. 2022 he smoked marijuana in the United States. Charged with violating the narcotics control law, Yoo Ah-in was tried in 2023 and in the following year was sentenced in the first trial to one year in prison and fined 2 million won. The prosecution appealed as the sentence was light, but in the second trial the sentence was reduced to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence and a fine of 2 million won, and the sentence was finalized by the Supreme Court on July 3 last year.
Against this backdrop, as news of Yoo Ah-in's next project came less than six months after his suspended sentence was finalized, netizens' backlash poured in. Critics say choosing Yoo Ah-in, who caused social controversy, among many actors is an act of deceiving the public. Ambiguous responses such as "I just asked how he was doing" and "nothing has been decided" were also criticized as "testing the public's reaction."
Nevertheless, when Yoo Ah-in's appearance in Vampir was finally treated as a done deal, responses of "I'm disappointed" surged. Director Jang Jae-hyun has been loved by cult fans for occult works such as Black Priests and Svaha, and with his previous film Exhuma exceeding 11 million viewers he earned the title of '10-million director,' so fans had high expectations for his new work. Prospective viewers disappointed that he opened the door for the comeback of Yoo Ah-in, who was convicted on drug charges, turned their backs saying "I will boycott" and "I will never watch it."
In this regard, a source at Vampir's investor-distributor NEW told OSEN, "We are coordinating various actors including the mentioned actor," and cautiously added, "We will inform you if confirmed."
Meanwhile, Yoo Ah-in is discussing leaving UAA and transferring to Galaxy Corporation, which counts G-Dragon among its artists, ahead of his activity comeback. OSEN's reporting found that multiple sources said, "I understand that a previously contracted star-level entertainer received close to 2 billion won as a signing bonus. If Yoo Ah-in signs an exclusive contract, he will probably receive a substantial signing bonus." With the 'drug' risk still lingering, attention is focused on whether he can successfully return to activities and on his future moves.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]