Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Academy Award-winning Korean film parasitewill be removed from the new drama No escape, A black comedy about the contract murder of a man who has just been released from prison after 13 years in prison. Lee was set to play the role of a detective in the film, which began filming last week.
On Monday, producer Studio released
“After an unfortunate incident last week with actor Lee Sun-gyun, he expressed that it would take a lot of time to resolve the current situation and that he would inevitably drop out of filming the project,” it said Explanation. “The company has reached an agreement with Lee’s agency and respects the actor’s position. Filming will continue as planned and there will be no further delay.”
Apart from No escapeTwo other films with Lee in the lead role are currently waiting for a theatrical release. Project SilenceDirector Kim Tae-gon’s disaster film about people stranded on a collapsing bridge in dense fog screened at Cannes in May and is awaiting a release next year. Land of HeavenA film about a soldier caught up in a dramatic event in modern Korean history is currently in post-production.
Last week, it was reported that the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency had opened an investigation against eight suspects, including Lee, over allegations of drug use in local bars and their homes. There was also speculation that Lee had taken drugs with the descendants of the police-named head of an industrial conglomerate, but on Monday the actor’s lawyer said via a local news outlet that Lee did not know them.
However, the lawyer neither admitted nor denied Lee’s drug use. He said it was “hard to say” whether Lee had actually taken the drugs, adding that the star would “faithfully cooperate with the police investigation.”
Hodu & U, Lee’s agency, issued a press release last week apologizing for any concerns the star’s fans may have had. “We sincerely apologize for any distress caused by the reports about actor Lee Seon-gyun,” it said. “We are currently reviewing the facts surrounding the allegations and will continue to work diligently with law enforcement in any investigations conducted.”
The 48-year-old actor starred in films, among other things All about my wife (2012) and Kingmaker (2018). In 2020, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the film parasite.
Korea has recently experienced a rise in drug-related crimes, particularly in the entertainment industry. Earlier this year, actor Yoo Ah-in was charged with taking more than seven types of drugs for non-medical purposes, including cocaine. The 37-year-old actor starred in the film in 2018 combustion and the hit Netflix drama series Hellbound. The release of his film The match and series Goodbye Earth on Netflix have been postponed indefinitely.
Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com