One of South Korea¡¯s most bankable stars, Kim Soo Hyun, is facing intense public scrutiny after allegations surfaced that the actor dated Kim Sae Ron when she was just a minor. After growing backlash, the spotlight has shifted to his career, with Disney+ announcing an indefinite halt to production on the upcoming K-drama Knock Off, a major project in which Kim was cast as the lead.
On April 23, Disney+ informed the cast and crew that filming for Knock Off would be halted indefinitely. The streaming platform had already postponed the series¡¯ planned release in response to the controversy but has now escalated its response by freezing production entirely.
According to the industry insiders as reported by K-media reports, if the series gets canceled, Kim Soo Hyun might have to pay penalties ranging from 20 to 100 billion KRW ($15 to $75 million USD) due to breach of contract clauses tied to his personal conduct.
Disney+ Korea is pushing forward with a robust content slate for 2025, despite the delay of Kim Soo Hyun's series Knock-Off. Following a successful year in 2024, where nine out of the top 15 most-watched non-US Disney+ originals globally were Korean productions, the platform is set to release several highly anticipated titles.
The new slate includes titles like Nine Puzzle, a crime thriller starring Kim Da Mi and Son Seok Ku; Fine: Country Bumpkins, a comedy starring Ryu Seung Ryong and Im Soo Jung; Polaris, starring Kang Dong Won, Jeon Ji Hyun, and John Cho; The Murky Stream, a historical drama with Rowoon and Shin Ye Eun; The Manipulated, a crime-action series featuring Ji Chang Wook and Do Kyung Soo; and Made in Korea, starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo Sung.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo Hyun has long been considered a household name, known for dramas like?My Love from the Star,?It¡¯s Okay to Not Be Okay and Queen of Tears. His role in?Knock Off?was seen as his new innings, as it was his first major return to a darker character since his earlier projects.
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