Speed ​​of Light (6)

 

Early in the morning on November 1st, a van carrying Kang Woo-jin was rushing to ‘SPT Studio’, the filming location for ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Inside the van.

“······”

Woojin is seen looking at his phone screen with a serious face. The rest of the team, including the stylist team, are doing the same. Everyone is looking at their phones. Choi Sung-geon is nowhere to be seen. In any case, what Woojin and the team members are seeing is the same video.

-【’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’】1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios

The first teaser for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ has been released on the official YouTube channel of ‘Columbia Studios’. This is the first time that anything other than a poster has been released to the world, and it is the first time that Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Joker’ face and movements have been revealed.

What’s unusual is that it was uploaded suddenly without any build-up.

Of course, Kang Woo-jin knew that from Director Ahn Ga-bok. He looked very calm and serious as he looked down at his phone, but he was nervous inside. He spent every day as a ‘Joker’ on the set of ‘Pierrot’, but this was the first time he had seen something processed like this.

even.

‘The whole world is watching this?’

Although it was a short one, it was the first encounter between the world’s public and the ‘Joker’ who had lifted the curtain. No matter how thick the concept was, it was natural for Woojin to be nervous. Soon, Kang Woojin touched the uploaded teaser video.

The running time is short, around 30 seconds.

And the beginning.

-[♬♪]

It started with a majestic yet calm OST, and suddenly the face of ‘Henry Gordon’ appeared on the screen that was showing black. Water droplets were dripping from his wet hair. With a dry expression, his shoulders and waist were hunched. ‘Henry Gordon’, who was looking at himself in the mirror, let out a long sigh.

His voice is soothing.

-[“This is right, I have to endure it.”]

The scene of ‘Henry Gordon’ is close-up, then the angle changes. ‘Henry Gordon’ is walking through a crowd of people on an ordinary street. ‘Henry Gordon’ is also seen watching a TV installed in a store. A woman in a suit comments on the TV.

-[“Hold on to your anger. Anger that explodes indiscriminately is a disease. It needs to be treated. Anger is the root of many problems.”]

The OST that had been flowing gently suddenly speeds up. The strong rhythm feels like a heartbeat. The screen goes black again. The music that had been playing strongly suddenly stops and a man’s laughter suddenly erupts.

-[“Kekekekeke!”]

A different figure appeared on the dark screen with a laughter. It was the ‘Joker’ running down the street that ‘Henry Gordon’ was walking. Here, his various appearances were quickly intersected, and the last one was the ‘Joker’ standing in front of the mirror. To be exact, it was the ‘Joker’ looking at the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror and laughed.

-[“Kekekeke! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”]

A line recited softly.

-[“You’re crazy, that’s high praise?”]

The screen went black again and there was a loud gunshot. Three gunshots, and Henry Gordon was picking up a Joker card inside a bloody pizza place. He even got some more flour on his face.

Soon, as the music reached its climax, the voice of ‘Joker’ was heard again.

-[“I thought of another prank.”]

A rough white lettering is printed in the center of the angle.

-‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’

The teaser lasted about 30 seconds. Woojin, who had been absentmindedly watching, clapped. Of course, inwardly.

‘It’s crazy! I acted in it, but it’s kind of- hip. It’s so cool.’

An evaluation that borders on self-praise. He gave me goosebumps several times in the short 30 seconds. Not only was his acting good, but the editing was also amazing. The music, characters, dialogue placement, and the intense atmosphere. Kang Woo-jin wanted to shout at his teammates, but he held back. Well, it was also because his teammates were already in chaos.

“Wow!! This is seriously awesome! I got goosebumps watching the teaser!!!”

“Didn’t you pick really well??!”

“The music and video go together perfectly! Especially, as soon as Woojin oppa appears, he immediately catches the eye!”

“This is crazy! There are so many comments!!”

The teaser video for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was uploaded less than 30 minutes ago. However, the number of views had already exceeded tens of thousands, and the number of comments was increasing explosively. The languages ​​were, of course, various, including Korean and English.

-What? Is this really the villain who’s the main character?

-The visuals are overwhelming?! It’s exactly the same as the released poster!

-I’m starting to get excited, please don’t worry about what the public thinks and show us a proper villain…

– As expected, Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Watch or Not’ was a marketing stunt. How could you not watch a teaser like this?

-The teaser seems well-chosen, but I still don’t like Kang Woo-jin. I wish Chris had played the villain instead of him.

-The worldview starting with a villain is refreshing, isn’t it? I plan on watching it once it’s released.

-Everyone, think about it! If you watch the movie, you’ll end up fanning Kang Woo-jin’s arrogance!

-I have to see what arrogance and all.

·

·

·

At first glance, there were many positive responses. Of course, there were some negative comments here and there, but they were a minority. Kang Woo-jin, who had a strong poker face, didn’t show any change in his expression, but he was happily observing the responses.

There were also questions with question marks in the comments.

-But why did the teaser for this movie come out so quickly?

It’s already November. It’s been over three months since we started editing, but it seems too early for ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ to release a teaser. It’s an action that is outside the ordinary category.

There it is.

-When will it be released? There is no information at all about the release??

-Right, so when is this movie coming out? If they released a teaser, there should be release information too!

There was no information other than the teaser. So the response started to be filled with doubts and questions. Kang Woo-jin knew why ‘Columbia Studio’ made this choice.

‘I think the official announcement will be next month or so?’

It is expected that the announcement that ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ will be nominated for this year’s ‘Academy Award’ will be made around the end of the year. Come to think of it, it’s already the end of the year. Kang Woo-jin looked out the window in silence and muttered to himself.

‘It’s already been four years.’

It was my first New Year’s Eve in Hollywood.

backwards.

The teaser video for ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ released to the world achieved 1 million views in no time. This was because Kang Woo-jin’s influence was strong not only in Korea and Japan, but also in the United States, including Hollywood. Foreign media rushed to see the hot topic and the unexpected release of the teaser.

『ABY/Suddenly released teaser for ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’, Kang Woo-jin’s shocking visual!』

The Korean media was even more absurd.

『[Star Talk] “It’s here!” Kang Woo-jin’s Hollywood debut ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ 1st teaser released!』

Public opinion was not much different, and Korean entertainment industry figures who knew Kang Woo-jin were also crazy. Actors in particular stood out.

“What the heck? Is this Kang Woojin? Are you crazy?? This is killing me!”

From Hong Hye-yeon, who exclaimed in admiration after watching the teaser while on the move, to actors who have worked with Woo-jin, and even actors who only know him through articles or news. There was also a feeling of a bit of vicarious satisfaction.

Because Kang Woo-jin was making their dreams come true.

As such, the teaser issue of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ stirred up a lot of interest in every country for several days, and in the meantime, foreign media outlets reported on the soaring popularity of ‘Pierrot’ while also raising questions.

『LA TIME/’Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ is in the middle of its second half editing, why did they suddenly release a teaser?』

Why did ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ release a teaser at this time? And why is there no information about its release?

It was quite strange.

As such questions deepened, the number of views for the teaser video exploded. It has easily surpassed 1 million and is currently heading towards 10 million.

-【’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’】1st Teaser｜Columbia Studios

-9.89 million views

Naturally, other videos related to the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ teaser were rampant on YouTube, and people were busy talking about Kang Woo-jin and ‘Pierrot’ on SNS as well as in various communities around the world.

The flow was more than just a strong wind.

Not missing this moment, Columbia Studios released a character video similar to the making of along with the official poster. Since the teaser had already taken the world by storm, the additional content that was released quickly spread among the public.

The more this happens, the more interest and questions rise.

This time, no information about the release was included.

However, there was no announcement from Columbia Studios or Kang Woo-jin. Columbia Studios just quietly continued with their promotional marketing, and the hot Kang Woo-jin quietly but surely focused on filming ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

In the meantime, Kang Woo-jin received some more good news.

‘Oh- This time again, I achieved the world’s number one spot for a month!’

‘Beneficial Evil’ Part 2 has been maintaining its position as the world’s No. 1 for over a month, just like Part 1, and Hollywood actors who will work with Kang Woo-jin for ‘John Persona’ have been confirmed one after another. In addition, ‘John Persona’, which is being handled by director Danny Landis, is also slowly starting to take shape in the script reading.

November, a month full of many tangled events, passes by at the speed of light.

After finishing filming ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Kang Woo-jin heads to ‘Columbia Studios’. He sees large trees installed all over downtown LA. It’s December, and Christmas is coming.

‘There’s only one month left this year? Time flies.’

Department stores in LA were crowded with people buying gifts, and pop singers including Kara were busy releasing Christmas-related songs. It was Kang Woo-jin’s first Christmas abroad, but his schedule didn’t change much. He must be the busiest person in Hollywood.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t have any award ceremonies to go to this year.’

In Korea, where the end of the year is already in full swing, preparations for various award ceremonies and film festivals are in their final stages, so Kang Woo-jin also received an invitation, but Woo-jin was unable to attend. All he could do was attend a few award ceremonies held here in LA as a guest.

And so began December, the last month of the year.

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who has been in the editing room of ‘Columbia Studios’ for over four months and is leading the editing of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’, was confident.

“······It’s definitely possible within January.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok confidently conveyed this to Columbia Studio executives, including producer Nora, that he could roll out ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ as he had designed and proposed to Columbia Studio.

“The plan we had in mind can proceed without a hitch. Editing is already in its final stages. It will be finished by early January at the earliest.”

Nora and the executives at Columbia Studios were both delighted and nervous. Now was the time to reveal their hidden intentions to the world.

“Then – I guess it would be right to announce it within this month.”

If all goes according to plan, it will be pre-released in LA theaters in February next year. Now, there are less than three months left. ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, which has been sharpening its sword, has entered its final inspection.

『ABY/’Academy Awards’ side “This year’s Academy Awards opening confirmed for April”』

In Hollywood, which is filled with the holiday or Christmas atmosphere, news of the ‘Academy Awards’ to be held in April next year is starting to be thrown around. Movies that were hits this year, movies that didn’t do well in the box office but were recognized for their artistic quality, movies that did well at other international film festivals, etc. Various works, actors, and directors are being mentioned, and the build-up is building little by little.

The organization that hosts the ‘Academy Awards’ is also busy.

Construction of the venue where the awards ceremony will be held, selection of invited guests, promotional marketing, and many other things. In fact, they have already started the work of selecting the nominated works.

Then December dawned and a few days later.

The location is ‘A8 Media’ in LA.

With the arrival of a major investor, the film company ‘A8 Media’, which was in charge of the movie ‘Guest’, was very busy. Not only CEO Jennifer Thurman, but all the employees of ‘A8 Media’ were obsessed with ‘Guest’.

“Did you tell the director and the production staff about the first production meeting?”

“Yes! I sent out the location and time, and I received a reply that everyone would attend.”

“Okay, what about bw agency?”

“He said it would be difficult for him to attend, so he asked me to just organize the production meeting contents and send it to him.”

“hmm-”

Jennifer Thurman nodded slowly. Although everything was going smoothly, she was starting to worry about one thing. It was about casting actors. She was waiting for a while at Sung-geon Choi’s suggestion, but now that the director and the cast were confirmed, she had to start casting actors.

‘······Until when. I guess I’ll have to contact you again.’

It was at this time.

-♬♪

The cell phone in her hand rang, and Jennifer put it to her ear as she entered her office.

“Yes- This is Jennifer Thurman from ‘A8 Media’.”

Jennifer’s eyes, which had been listening to the other person for a moment, suddenly widened. Her mouth opened slightly as well. Her face looked as if she had been in shock. She then quietly asked into her cell phone.

“···Huh? Ma, Miley Cara is interested in our work?”

Meanwhile, in front of a five-star hotel in downtown LA.

It was a hotel where a famous luxury brand event was held. As such, there were many  celebrities, such as actors and influencers, and in front of the hotel entrance, there were about a hundred reporters lined up, pressing their shutters like crazy. There were also a few Hollywood actors talking to reporters.

A brief interview before going up to the photo zone.

What’s funny is that among those actors, there was also Kang Woo-jin, who had an indifferent expression. Woo-jin, who was wearing a luxury suit and had his black hair neatly slicked back, was showered with flashes of light like a bomb exploding, and the hotel entrance was filled with questions from countless reporters.

Kang Woo-jin did not answer all the questions asked, but rather selected some and answered accordingly.

At that moment, a male reporter shouted.

“’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, in which Woojin performed, has a teaser and various posters and related videos are being released! It feels a bit rushed! Why haven’t you announced any information about the release yet??! Is there a reason? Or is it part of advance publicity?”

Kang Woo-jin met the reporter’s eyes and gave a short and simple answer.

“Because I’m going to challenge for this year’s ‘Academy Award.’”

But it was a statement that could turn Hollywood upside down.