Jang Gyu-ri to leave fromis_9 as contract expires, group to continue as eight members

Hunt will get a US theatrical release in December.On August 15, Deadline reported that film distributor Magnolia Pictures has acquired US rights to the South Korean film Hunt and is currently planning a December theatrical release.The spy-action film notably marks the directorial debut of veteran actor Lee Jung-jae, who gained significant international recognition for his role in Netflix’s 2021 hit series Squid Game. He also wrote the screenplay for Hunt, which is set in the ’80s at the height of South Korea’s military dictatorship.Lee also stars in the film alongside with Jung Woo-sung as intelligence agents tasked with hunting down a North Korean spy embedded in their agency.

EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Pictures has snapped up domestic rights to Hunt, the feature directorial from Squid Game Emmy nominated star Lee Jung-jae, which made its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section.

JO1 have pulled out of this weekend’s KCON LA due to COVID-19.Five of the J-pop group’s 11 members have tested positive for the coronavirus, the group’s agency Lapone Entertainment revealed in a statement on its website on August 15. As a result JO1 will not appear at KCON LA, the K-pop festival and convention marking its 10th anniversary in Los Angeles this weekend.The first member of JO1 to test positive for COVID-19 was Sato Keigo, who reported symptoms last Friday.

Interpark Music Plus has responded to reports about the dissolution of girl group LABOUM.Last week (August 12), StarNews and other South Korean news outlets reported that LABOUM would be disbanding in late August or early September, following the agency’s acquisition by Yanolja.However, Interpark Music Plus has since said it is still in the midst of discussions regarding LABOUM’s future. “We saw the article about [LABOUM’s] disbandment, but absolutely nothing has been decided yet,” the agency told Sports Hankook, per Soompi.

EXCLUSIVE: Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK rights to Hong Kong family drama Mama’s Affair, which marks the film acting debut of two members of hot local boy band Mirror, Keung To and Jer Lau, from Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures.

Robin Williams' children have paid tribute to the late actor on the eighth anniversary of his death. The 'Mrs Doubtfire' star took his own life in 2014 at the age of 63 after a battle with Lewy body dementia and now his grown-up kids Zelda and Zak have honoured his memory by sharing heart-felt messages on Thursday (11. 08.

Decision To Leave has been selected to represent South Korea in the Best International Feature Film category for the upcoming Oscars.Deadline reported that the Korean Film Council announced its pick yesterday (August 11), sharing it took into consideration “workmanship and directing ability, the possibility of box office success in the North American market, and the promotion ability of overseas distributors”. As a result, the council agreed that Decision To Leave was “the most appropriate choice, and we expect the work to be well-received”.Starring South Korean actor Park Hae-il (The King’s Letters) and Chinese star Tang Wei (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), Decision To Leave is a slow-burn mystery romance about a police detective who gets dispatched to a scene of a man’s death.

Park Chan-wook’s crime drama Decision To Leave has been selected by South Korea to represent the country in the Best International Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards.

EXCLUSIVE: Leading Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun has signed with Storied Media Group for film and television representation. SMG will package and sell the newspaper’s content for feature films and television both domestically and internationally. 

EXID will reunite to celebrate their 10th anniversary through a special broadcast.The broadcast ‘We Are EXID’ is a livestream that will be hosted on the online streaming platform Naver NOW on August 13. According to a report by Korea JoongAng Daily, ‘We Are EXID’ will feature several performances from the members and see the group connect with their fans and look back on important parts of their career.‘We Are EXID’ marks EXID’s first activity as a full unit in South Korea after they went on indefinite hiatus following the release of their fifth mini-album ‘We’ in 2019.

Vivienne Chow Hong Kong boy band Mirror has pulled out of Japan’s Summer Sonic festival, organizers confirmed, while investigations continue into last week’s horrific incident that severely injured two dancers on stage during a live concert in their hometown.Summer Sonic announced on Friday that the 12-piece group has canceled the performance at the festival’s Tokyo Pacific Stage, originally scheduled for Aug. 20, “due to unforeseen circumstances.”“We sincerely apologize to all of you and hope to have the opportunity to participate again,” a comment from Mirror cited in Summer Sonic’s statement.The news follows a tragic incident on July 28, when a giant LED screen hanging above the stage fell and struck 27-year-old dancer “Mo” Lee Kai-yin in the head during Mirror’s concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has re-edited an international version of his upcoming directorial debut Hunt to suit a global audience.South Korean media outlet Yonhap News Agency reported on August 3 that Lee had revised several key lines and scenes in the film following its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in order to contextualise the film’s political setting for global audiences.An international version of Hunt will now see the addition of further elaboration of South Korean politics in the ’80s. “When writing the script of Hunt, I set younger generations in South Korea who learn about the era from history textbooks as the target audience.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLee Jung-jae, the Korean actor who has received an Emmy nomination for his role in Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” has re-edited “Hunt,” the film that marked his feature directorial debut. The new version will play at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.“Hunt,” a 1980s-set espionage thriller about rival agents from North and South Korea, had its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Bae Suzy and Yang Se-jong will be co-starring in Netflix’s upcoming original K-drama The Girl Downstairs.On July 19, South Korean news outlet JoyNews24 reported that the two actors have been confirmed to lead the upcoming series. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Min Song-ah, The Girl Downstairs revolves around college students Lee Doo-na (Bae) and Lee Won-joon (Yang) who end living together.In the original webtoon, Lee Doo-na is a former member of the fictional girl group Dream Sweet, who abruptly decides to retire to resume her studies at Minsong University as a theatre and film student.  It is currently unknown if the Netflix adaptation will retain the same plot.As of writing, Netflix has yet to announce a projected premiere date for The Girl Downstairs.

Shakira and her lawyers recently declined to reach an agreement with the Spanish Tax Agency. The Spanish government is accusing her of tax fraud of 14,5 million euros.

Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut Hunt has been released.Set in the ’80s, Hunt follows two top National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents who uncover shocking truths as they chase down the person in charge of North Korean spies who have infiltrated the country.On top of serving as the film’s director and screenwriter, Lee Jung-jae stars as agent Park Pyung-ho, with Jung Woo-sung playing his colleague and rival Kim Jung-do.The new trailer for the film begins with Pyung-ho and Jung-do finding themselves in the middle of a sudden shoot-out as they attempt to put a stop to the South Korean president’s visit. They then learn of a spy with the code name Dong-rim who has infiltrated the organisation as part of a plan to assassinate the president.Aside from the film’s two main leads, Hunt also features a supporting cast inclusive of Jeon Hye-jin (Uncle, Ashfall), Heo Sung-tae (Squid Game), Ko Yoon-jung (Alchemy of Souls, Rookie Cops) and Kim Jong-soo (Snowdrop, Dream), among others.

Netflix has dropped a new trailer for its forthcoming South Korean original series A Model Family. The brand-new visual for A Model Family dropped yesterday (July 27), and begins with a man (played by Jung Woo) stumbling across a crashed car with bloodied, dead bodies. He chances upon a duffel bag filled with cash in the backseat and begins scrambling to pocket the money for himself.However, his choice to steal the money would eventually lead to more catastrophic events – he has become the target of a dangerous drug syndicate, who threaten his family and his own life if he doesn’t agree to take on the role of a mule for the gang.

K-pop is a fast-paced, ever-changing industry.

GOT7 singer JAY B and South Korean rapper Sik-K have parted ways with H1GHR MUSIC.On July 25, H1GHR MUSIC announced via its social media accounts that both artists have departed the agency following the expiration of their respective contracts.“Our contracts with Sik-K and JAY B have expired and we have agreed that it is best to continue their careers on a different path,” wrote the agency on Twitter. “We will always support them as family forever.”Hello.

Daniel Craig's No Time To Die did what none of the previous 24 Bond outings had ever done before. After despatching off Rami Malek's villain Safin, Ian Fleming's spy died after being blown to smithereens by missiles hitting the island lair. The world was left in shock and now 007 fans can actually visit the spot where James Bond died.