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| The poster for the film, "Hero" / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Yoon Je-kyoon's long-awaited film, "Hero," is finally hitting theaters in December, according to distributor CJ ENM, Wednesday. The film, which finished shooting in December 2019, was initially scheduled to be released in 2020, but got delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adapted from the original musical, "Hero," the film tells the story of Korean independence movement activist Ahn Jung-geun's final year after he assassinated Hirobumi Ito, Japan's prime minister and the first resident general of Korea, in October 1909, about a year before Japan's annexation of Korea and the start of its colonial occupation (1910-45). In March of the following year, Ahn was executed in a Japanese prison in China.
Director Yoon is behind hit films like "Haeundae" and "Ode to My Father," which each surpassed 10 million viewers. He is currently working on K-pop-themed Hollywood film "K-Pop: Lost in America."
Actor Jung Sung-hwa will play the role of Ahn. Jung previously played the lead character in the original musical and is poised to star in the ninth edition of the production, which will open on Dec. 1 and run through Feb. 28 at LG Art Center.
"It was a long wait for me because we finished shooting the film about three years ago. Coincidentally, the musical production of 'Hero' will be performed onstage in December. It's interesting to see a film and a live musical on the same subject being presented at the same time. December is going to be a tough month for me physically, but I'm glad that I'm able to greet fans with both projects," the actor told reporters at Hero's Night, held on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival, Oct. 9.
Kim Go-eun will portray Seol-hee, a palace court maid who witnessed the death of Empress Myeongseong. She supports Korea's independence movement by providing information for the activists.
"I've always thought to myself that I'm pretty good at singing. But I realized I was wrong after preparing for this musical film. I cried many times in my practice because it was really hard to get it right," Kim said.
"Later, I decided that it'd be better to choose between singing and acting. I was like, 'I can't do both well, so let's just focus on one thing.' I eventually chose acting," she added.
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