[Interview] The 'Hero' Facing Avatar 2... Yoon Je-kyun's Challenge

'Double Ten Million Box Office Master' Director Yoon Je-kyun
Movie 'Hero' Released... Face-off with 'Avatar 2'
Parallel Theory with Debut Work 'Two Cops'
Next Work is a US Hollywood K-pop Movie

Director Yoon Je-kyun. Photo by CJ ENM

Director with two 10-million-hit films. This is the epithet attached to Yoon Je-kyun (53). Having created two films that each attracted over 10 million viewers, which is said to be a divine blessing, he rewrote Korean film history by drawing a total of 25.58 million viewers with 'Haeundae' (2009) at 11.32 million and 'Ode to My Father' (2014) at 14.26 million.

The pressure for his next work was immense. Had he chosen a familiar style, box office success would have been almost guaranteed, but Director Yoon chose the difficult path instead of the shortcut. 'Hero,' adapted from the original musical of the same name that premiered in 2009, was released on the 21st.

When I met Director Yoon Je-kyun at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 16th, he said, "I feel passion and motivation when I challenge something new." He added with sparkling eyes, "It's an inevitable trait of mine as a creator."

This is his first directorial work in eight years. Unexpectedly, his choice was a musical film. Every moment was a challenge. Because he had to bear the numerous evaluations from audiences who had watched the stage performances over 14 years, it required a lot of effort. He focused on adaptation, adding plausibility to Seol-hee’s character while transferring it to film. Insisting on on-site simultaneous recording to make dialogues and numbers flow naturally, he did not even wear a single padded jumper during the cold wave.

He endured the effort of connecting a large tube 100 meters away due to the noise of the strong wind machine operated for wind effects. Actors sometimes exhausted themselves by singing the same song three to four times, or even dozens of times, during long-take live shooting. The film was only released after post-production work that digitally removed in-ear monitors and microphones attached to the actors’ faces using computer graphics (CG) effects.

'Hero' depicts the last year of An Jung-geun, from preparing the assassination to killing Ito Hirobumi and his subsequent martyrdom. Based on known history, the film also carries the task of avoiding being mired in patriotism. The film is even more rigorous. Recently, melodrama has been particularly taboo. 'Hero' is a film imbued with the painstaking care of Yoon Je-kyun, who repeatedly refined and pondered over the film.

"When making a musical into a film, I set two goals. First, not to disappoint audiences who have seen the performance. Second, to make a musical film that would not be embarrassing even if released worldwide. I sincerely persuaded the original creator, ACOM’s CEO Yoon Ho-jin, by correcting parts that were not understood in the original performance. I was delighted when CEO Yoon called to encourage me after watching the film 'Hero.'"

Director Yoon Je-kyun. Photo by CJ ENM

Facing off against 'Avatar: The Way of Water'... Can it recreate the box office success from 21 years ago?

Director Yoon Je-kyun’s face was bright. Ahead of the release, he conducted interviews with 68 media outlets over ten days. The caffeine drink bottle and untouched cold bread on the interview table hinted at his fatigue. When asked if it was hard, the director replied, "I believe that if you earnestly wish for something, it will come true. I hope my feelings are conveyed even in a single word." He smiled and said, "I am doing my best with a desperate heart."

Director Yoon was enthusiastic about promotion. The competing film on screen is James Cameron’s 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (hereafter 'Avatar 2'). While Korean films hurried to avoid simultaneous release with the sequel to the highest-grossing foreign film 'Avatar,' 'Hero' calmly issued a challenge.

There was a sense of d?j? vu. Director Yoon’s debut film 'My Boss, My Teacher' (2001) was released on the same day as 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,' and a week later faced off against 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.' The result was unexpected. Starting with 165 screens despite being rated restricted for youth, 'My Boss, My Teacher' drew 3.5 million viewers and became a huge hit. Coincidentally, 'Sex Is Zero' (2002) followed the same path. Starting with 189 screens, it was released simultaneously with 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,' accumulating 4.2 million viewers and succeeding at the box office.

Director Yoon laughed, saying, "It seems like fate." He added, "I am earnestly praying for a miracle to happen."

Without fear, with earnestness

After the preview screening, praise for 'Hero' continued. Especially, the response at the press screening was good. If word of mouth spreads among actual viewers, a long-term 'double-pull box office' can be expected. He expressed confidence, saying, "'Avatar 2' focuses on visual enjoyment, while 'Hero' is visually watchable and also contains auditory pleasure."

"Life is like the old Chinese saying saengongjima (塞翁之馬) ? you never know what will happen. You never know when or how opportunities will come. Also, when building human relationships, I have one value: there is no person above another, and no person below another. No matter how great a person is, how great can they really be? I was a salaryman who became a film director, but I have never thought of myself as extraordinary. Life is unpredictable. Who would have known 20 years ago when I made my debut film 'My Boss, My Teacher' that I would become a director with two 10-million-hit films?"

Director Yoon Je-kyun described himself as having a 'strong-weak weak-weak' style, being weak against both the strong and the weak. He said, "People who know me say my personality doesn’t change. I am consistent. Always weak," and laughed heartily.

"No one doesn’t work hard. It’s about who was luckier. Whether someone is successful or not, I have affection for humans. You can predict the situation one or two years ahead, but you never know what situation you will be in ten years later."

Scene from the filming of the movie 'Hero'. Photo by CJ ENM

Ordinary salaryman becomes film director

At 33, salaryman Yoon Je-kyun became a film director by chance. In 1998, while working at the advertising company LG Ad, he entered the film industry by winning the grand prize (a honeymoon trip) at the Taechang Heungup screenplay contest in 1999, which he entered to repay a loan. His second screenplay was contracted by an investor, but after more than a month without selecting a director, he ended up directing it himself. That film was his debut, 'My Boss, My Teacher' (2001).

Starting with 'My Boss, My Teacher' and continuing with 'Sex Is Zero,' he became a successful box office director, but he also tasted failure with 'Once Upon a Time in High School' (2003). His ambitiously produced 'Haeundae' (2011) suffered harsh criticism. However, as he said, life is truly unpredictable. 'Haeundae,' which broadened the horizon of Korean-style disaster films, was a big hit, and 'Ode to My Father,' made while thinking of his late father, attracted over 10 million viewers consecutively.

"As time passes, how about telling a story someday about an ordinary salaryman becoming a director with two 10-million-hit films? I want to make an autobiographical film about an ordinary salaryman living in a 10-pyeong semi-basement room becoming a film director. If I were to title it, it would be 'Salaryman, Becomes Film Director.'"

Director Yoon Je-kyun. Photo by CJ ENM

Next project in Hollywood, USA

191.97575 billion KRW. This is the revenue generated by Yoon Je-kyun’s two 10-million-hit films. Money gathers in theaters and circulates back to the field, invigorating the film industry. Director Yoon, who attracted countless viewers to theaters, expanded the film market and provided opportunities to many filmmakers. He became a pioneering figure leading the development of the film industry. This also laid the foundation for promoting K-movies and K-content overseas.

This year, Yoon Je-kyun gained another title. In April, CJ ENM appointed him as the new CEO of CJ ENM Studios, established that same month. CJ ENM formed a relationship with Yoon’s production company JK Film in 2016 by acquiring it. At that time, CJ ENM signed a contract to secure 51% of JK Film’s shares.

He said, "My motto is to do my best in any situation. Sometimes I direct, sometimes I produce, and sometimes I am the CEO of a studio content company. None of these is unimportant. Only the situation changes. I always live with the mindset of showing 200 when expecting 100, doing my best."

Now, Director Yoon Je-kyun is heading to the United States. His next project is a global production titled 'K-pop: Lost in America,' which he will direct. CJ ENM and producers like Linda Obst, who succeeded with global blockbusters such as 'Interstellar,' are co-producing. The lead role will be played by singer and actor Cha Eun-woo, known as a 'face genius.' He said, "An American writer is revising and adapting the screenplay. I don’t know when filming will start. I will only know for sure once I experience the Hollywood system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.