The movie ‘Match’, whose release was uncertain due to the drug use scandal involving Yoo Ah-in, will be released in theaters on the 26th after 4 years. Although Yoo Ah-in‘s scenes were completely cut out in the trailer, it has been reported that he will appear in the main film without any edits, drawing attention from both inside and outside the industry.

‘Match’, which announced its release on the 26th, is a film that brings to the screen the true story of South Korean Go legend Cho Hun-hyun, who loses to his disciple Lee Chang-ho, 9th dan, and then uses his natural competitive spirit to once again challenge for the top. Lee Byung-hun and Yoo Ah-in, the top-grossing actors in Chungmuro, played the roles of Cho Hoon-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, respectively, and finished filming in 2021 with high expectations, but the release was postponed indefinitely due to the aftermath of COVID-19, especially Yoo Ah-in’s drug use allegations.

Yoo Ah-in, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial last September and was detained in court, was released on probation in the second trial last month, drawing more attention to his leading roles. Meanwhile, ‘Match’ has minimized ‘risk’ by removing all of Yoo Ah-in‘s scenes from the trailer and only showing Kim Kang-hoon, the younger version of Yoo Ah-in. Yoo Ah-in was also excluded from the character posters introducing the main characters.

However, the main part of the movie contains all of the scenes of Yoo Ah-in that the director originally intended and filmed, without any editing. Director Kim Hyung-joo said that since the film’s two-character structure is important, there is a “structural problem” in which one character cannot be unconditionally edited out, and that he “didn‘t want to ruin the film any longer.” He added, “You’ll be convinced once the film is released. I thought it was polite to show the film to the audience as intended.”

While there are still negative reactions to the release of Yoo Ah-in‘s leading role, some say that the completed film should be viewed as a “film itself”, distancing itself from the controversy surrounding the lead actor. Furthermore, some say that the public needs to be more lenient with works like “Match” that completed all filming before the lead actor caused social controversy.

Meanwhile, the public’s evaluation and box office success of “Match” are likely to have a significant impact on Yoo Ah-in‘s other leading role, “High Five,” which has not yet been released. ‘High Five’, which cranked up in 2021, is a fantasy action film that depicts the story of five rookie heroes who accidentally gain superpowers and meet those who covet their superpowers. It stars Yoo Ah-in, Ra Mi-ran, Lee Jae-in, Ahn Jae-hong, and Kim Hee-won. It was directed by Kang Hyung-chul, who created ‘Speed Scandal’, ‘Sunny’, and ‘Swing Kids’.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.