“The Night Owl” is the debut directorial of Ahn Tae-jin and, alongside Ryu Jun-yeol was supposed to star Choi Min-sik as Jose King Injo. Choi has, in his long and illustrious career never played a Joseon King so there was much anticipation for the project when it was announced. However, Choi later dropped out over creative differences but the anticipation for the feature does not subside, as Yoo Hae-jin, an actor known for his terrific supporting and even leading roles, was quickly announced as Choi’s replacement, also portraying a King for the first time.
Synopsis
Kyeong-soo is a blind acupuncturist. He is unable to see anything during the daytime, but, strangely, he is able to see like a normal person at night. One evening, Kyeong-soo happens to witness the death of the Crown Prince So-hyeon. This death leads King Injo into madness. Kyeong-soo attempts to reveal the truth behind the Crown Prince’s death.
This will be the third time Ryu Jun-yeol and Yoo Hae-jin feature together, after “The Battle: Roar to Victory” and “A Taxi Driver”. Ryu seems to have found a taste for period pieces, with this being his third consecutive period film. Yoo, on the other hand, is coming off the back of “Confidential Assignment 2: International” one of the highest grossing films of the year. Despite being his debut directorial, Ahn Tae-jin too is no stranger to the period genre, having worked as assistant director on Lee Joon-ik’s “The King and the Clown”. Also starring Choi Moo-sung, Cho Seong-ha and Park Myung-hoon, “The Night Owl” is confirmed to be released on 13th November, 2022 in South Korea.
