'When the Phone Rings' continues to rise in ratings despite a one-week hiatus
Lee Sun Kyun has decided to withdraw from the upcoming K-drama No Way Out.
According to industry insiders on October 23, Lee Sun Kyun decided to not participate in the upcoming K-drama. The production company accepted Lee Sun Kyun's request to withdraw after discussing it with his agency. It will probably take a lot of time for Lee Sun Kyun to clear his name after his controversy was revealed last week.
It was also revealed that the production team contacted other actors and staff that the shooting of the K-drama would be postponed for around two weeks. The actors and staff are currently adjusting their schedules to fit the new filming dates. They will also have to look for another actor to replace Lee Sun Kyun in the upcoming series.
No Way Out already began filming last week without Lee Sun Kyun. The actor was supposed to join the filming but he wasn't able to participate because of the investigation of his drug charges.
The upcoming K-drama will tell the story of a murder contract with a reward of 20 billion won (approximately $15 million) for the life of an evil criminal who was released after 13 years. It will reveal the battle between those who want to kill and those who want to survive.
Lee Sun Kyun was supposed to play the role of Baek Joong Sik, a police officer who protects the citizens from a killer.
Meanwhile, the upcoming K-drama will continue to be led by Yoo Jae Myung, Kim Mu Yeol, Lee Kwang Soo, Greg Hsu, and Yeom Jung Ah.
No Way Out will be the next work of director Choi Kook Hee who also created the films Life Is Beautiful, Default, and Tale of Cinema.
Meanwhile, the two upcoming movies of Lee Sun Kyun have already finished filming. These two films were postponed to be released next year. According to reports, the production companies will be monitoring the police investigations for now before taking action.
Lee Sun Kyun is set to star in the upcoming films Project Silence and The Land of Happiness. Project Silence premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in May and was supposed to be released at the end of 2023. Because of certain circumstances, it was eventually postponed to premiere next year.
The Land of Happiness on the other hand was supposed to premiere this year after the film 12.12: The Day. It was also eventually postponed for next year's release. It was reported that the investment distributor of the upcoming film is facing several trials because of two actors. First is Yoo Ah In and his upcoming film High Five which was supposed to premiere last June and now Lee Sun Kyun's controversy that may affect the upcoming movie The Land of Happiness.
