Encroachment (4)

 

The world’s most prestigious ‘Academy Awards’ or Oscars. With the grand opening of this year’s ‘Academy Awards’ only a few months away, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which handles the awards ceremony, has made a surprising move.

There had been rumors of this before, but this time it was official.

The list of entries that passed the executive committee’s review and met various conditions was completed and distributed to thousands of members who were members of the judging panel. The members were distributed not only in the United States but also all over the world. Now, the names of the movies that made Hollywood shine that year and the actors, staff, and directors who played in those movies would be mentioned countless times.

In addition to the director, actors, and staff, there are a number of other amazing people involved, including of course.

–< Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain/ Columbia Studios/>

‘Pierrot’, which announced the beginning of the ‘cinematic universe’ that ‘Columbia Studio’ risked its life for, was also included.

To put it simply, you can’t take it out anymore.

From now on, it involves a very complicated process, but simply put, after evaluations by thousands of members, the final candidate works are announced to the world in late March or early April. At the same time, the final candidate works are distributed to members again, and the winners and awardees are decided here.

Those works and names will be announced grandly at the ‘Academy Awards’ ceremony that opens before the end of April.

Of course, everything from the entire process to the nominated works, etc., is kept secret, but since the ‘Academy Awards’ shakes up Hollywood so much, it was inevitable that some information would leak out. This first judging movement is no different. Although the executive committee, ‘AMPAS’, did not make a separate announcement, their actions were introduced to the Hollywood media.

『CNM/[Exclusive] The ‘Academy Awards’ have moved, ‘AMPAS’ distributes works to members to decide on this year’s ‘Academy Awards’ nominees!』

Of course, rumors had already been circulating offline before the media got involved. Among Hollywood film companies, production companies, directors, actors, key staff, etc., the ‘Academy Awards’ became a hot topic among countless people.

“I heard that this year’s Oscar entries were distributed to members. There are so many great entries this year, it’ll be worth seeing.”

“Haha. That’s right, there were a lot of things that were box office hits, but there were also quite a few that won based on their artistic quality. But aren’t you curious about what will happen to ‘Pierrot’ and Kang Woo-jin?”

“That’s right, the quality of the work is that good, but it’s probably the hottest work in terms of topicality.”

“After the pre-release, the reviews on each site seem to be lining up with favorable reviews – but what will members around the world think?”

“In particular, Kang Woo-jin, who has openly declared that he is aiming for the ‘Academy Award’. His results will probably be the most focused issue.”

Of course, there has been a lot of talk about ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, which has been a huge issue so far. Kang Woo-jin is being mentioned even more. ‘Pierrot’ has already been pre-released for over a week, and Woo-jin’s villain acting is also receiving rave reviews from various sites, media, and public opinion. However, this one-time trend alone did not lead to a confirmed nomination for the ‘Academy Award’.

“Kang Woo-jin – It’s true that he has achieved miracles from Cannes to the ‘Emmy Awards,’ but the lineup of this year’s works and actors who have given great performances is considerably higher than last year’s.”

“This year has been a year in which many people who can be called great actors have been active, whether they are directors or actors.”

“That would be it, a long-standing tradition or giving strength to a rookie who brings a new wind to the table.”

“Hmm… But if you say ‘rookie’, it’s not just Kang Woo-jin, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

In addition, there were many veteran actors who dominated Hollywood, and there were also many new actors who suddenly gained popularity in Hollywood. After the 17th day filled with this atmosphere, the 18th day, which was even more gloomy, dawned.

The time is morning.

Kang Woo-jin could be found at ‘Columbia Studios’.

“······”

He wore his hat pulled down low and a padded jacket because of the cold weather. Although he was dressed quite comfortably, his expression was solemn. However, inside, he was quite excited.

‘Academy Award members? Since the work has been sent to them, does that mean the evaluation has begun? If you fail in the first round, it’s over.’

Kang Woo-jin also received the ‘Academy Award’ vibe. Although he pretends to be calm on the outside, it is natural for him to be nervous when ‘Pierrot’ says that his acting is on the guillotine.

‘Well, if it actually falls, I can just let it go and say, ‘There’s nothing I can do about it,’ but it’s a bit weird??!’

Because of what they had done so far, this was also a matter of prestige. In any case, a large number of people including Kang Woo-jin, director Ahn Ga-bok, Nora Foster, executives of Columbia Film, several actors including Chris, and even the key staff gathered in the large conference room inside Columbia Studios. They are currently talking about the ‘Academy Awards’.

“Whew- Thank goodness. It felt like they pushed it through a bit too hastily, so if the ‘AMPAS’ side had any trouble finding fault, it would have been a headache, but ‘Pierrot’ was passed on to the members without any problems.”

“Even if it wasn’t passed through the usual route, the Academy Awards have eyes and ears to see and hear. It would have been difficult to just ignore ‘Pierrot’, which shook up Hollywood like this.”

“Hahaha, anyway, we’re relieved.”

We were about to move on to another topic. Regarding the pre-release of ‘Pierrot’, which is currently heating up Hollywood, its performance, online and offline reactions, industry reviews, etc. Still, the two-week pre-release schedule was sold out, and the rave reviews were still lining up, so the atmosphere here was quite bright.

Soon, the conversation shifted to Kang Woo-jin.

A bald man among the executives spoke.

“Mr. Kang Woo-jin, your expression is serious – are you worried? Are you worried that the members of the ‘Academy Awards’ will give you a low score?”

Of course, where would a normal person be in this situation? It wasn’t like he was crazy worried, but Woojin was still nervous, but he shook his head more casually than ever.

“No, not at all. I was just listening to the conversation as normal.”

“Hahaha. I see, sometimes I get confused when I see your face. Well, you have nothing to worry about when you have captivated hundreds of audiences who flocked to criticize you.”

Recently, after the pre-release of ‘Pierrot’, Kang Woo-jin’s image has changed dramatically. Whether it’s the media or public opinion. It’s not that Kang Woo-jin is still hated or doesn’t have malicious comments, but compared to the past, Woo-jin’s fans have increased significantly and the flow has changed.

“As you all may have seen, ‘Joker’ is already being praised among famous communities. It’s been a while since we’ve picked a proper villain.”

“Even cosplaying as the Joker is becoming a trend, and it’s still a pre-release movie!”

“Ahhh, I saw that too.”

After a while of Columbia executives and staff chatting, producer Nora picked up her tablet and abruptly changed the subject.

“The schedule isn’t completely finished yet, but judging by the atmosphere so far, it’s safe to say that the pre-release of ‘Pierrot’ was a success.”

Almost everyone nodded. Then Nora continued speaking.

“In addition, thanks to public opinion, news, and various mass media and press, our PR marketing is at its peak. If the power of the ‘Academy Awards’ is added in the future, it will grow several times more.”

Soon, Nora’s gaze was fixed on the indifferent Kang Woo-jin.

“Of course, Kang Woo-jin’s issue-focused skills are also a great help.”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that his strength was at almost half. This is also something that everyone acknowledges.

“So we were able to save a lot of time for promotion, and honestly, I would have liked to just push for a worldwide release like this-”

Nora Foster, who omitted the word ‘Academy Award’.

“The official worldwide release of ‘Pierrot’ has been confirmed to begin on May 30th, starting with the United States and then the remaining 40 countries around the same time.”

He spat out his conclusion as if he was announcing it to everyone and turned his gaze to Kang Woo-jin again.

“The Korean release of ‘Pierrot’ is May 31st.”

After that.

Hollywood was boiling like a furnace with the pre-release of ‘Clown: The Birth of a Villain’ and the first official march of the ‘Academy Awards’. There was a buzz everywhere. In the case of ‘Clown’, the rave reviews increased every day. From the audiences who saw the movie to experts other than critics, they cried out for ‘Joker’.

Korea is in a festive mood.

『Sold out for the first 2 weeks of pre-release! Overseas famous review sites give ‘Pierrot’ great praise!』

『[Overseas Topic] Hollywood, which fell in love with Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Joker’, is increasingly being consumed by Kang Woo-jin / Photo』

Thanks to this, ‘Pierrot’ achieved something that no other famous Hollywood movie has been able to achieve. Not only did it sell out the entire pre-release schedule, but the movie, which was not officially released, rose to become the number one keyword in terms of influence on various communities and SNS.

This time too, Kang Woo-jin.

-I haven’t seen Kang Woo-jin’s clown, but I’m sure he’s performing miracles quite often.

-Honestly, it’s already changed a lot of Hollywood.

-That’s right, this is proof that he has a unique influence. Hollywood needs to accept his presence.

Another first was being mass-produced with ease.

A week passed quickly as things exploded like that.

It’s already the 24th.

Kang Woo-jin, who was riding in a taxi, observed the media atmosphere while moving.

‘Hmm – the pre-release schedule is over, but fortunately the media is hyping it up so there’s still a fuss going on.’

As of yesterday, the two-week pre-release schedule for ‘Pierrot’ ended. However, the results that Woojin’s ‘Joker’ achieved in that short period were incredible. Even though it was only two weeks, ‘Joker’ was spreading not only in Hollywood but also in many countries such as Korea and Japan. SNS, communities, YouTube. No matter where you communicated, ‘Joker’ was visible.

‘Wow, it’s like this now, but it would be seriously awesome if it were released worldwide??’

However, Kang Woo-jin couldn’t just focus on ‘Pierrot’. There are more than one or two characters he has played.

Exactly two days later, on the morning of the 26th.

Tomorrow, the 27th, is the first day of filming for ‘John Persona’, but Woojin is currently in the large hall of a five-star hotel in LA. He is dressed quite formally. Navy blazer and black coat. His black hair is neatly slicked back. He entered the hall on a stage set up at the front.

-Ugh.

On the stage, there was a long desk and behind it, a large poster for the first episode of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was hung. The poster showed the Beast playing the piano and Bella dancing. In other words, this place was related to ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

To be exact, it is an event that ‘Worldwide Disney Pictures’ holds for each work, with the feel of a character introduction and production press conference.

So on the long table.

“Hello, my name is Bill Lautner, and I am the director of Beauty and the Beast.”

Director Bill Lautner, half-bald, sat first, and Kang Woo-jin sat next to him. In the third seat was a woman with full makeup and blonde hair in a single braid like ‘Bella the Beauty’.

“This is Miley Cara, she plays ‘Bella the Beauty.’”

Kara was visible. Of course, all the main and supporting actors from ‘Beauty and the Beast’, starting with Maria Armas, were gathered. Of course, the entire hall they were looking at was.

-Pavabavabak!

Even now, hundreds of foreign reporters are gathered together, frantically pressing the shutter. The number is easily over 200. This was also filtered out by ‘World Disney Pictures’. Since ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was a mess from the beginning, and with the issues surrounding Kang Woo-jin, and the recent dating rumors between Woo-jin and Kara, reporters have flocked in large numbers.

The overall atmosphere of the event.

“Because the original power of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is so strong, we adapted it into a live-action version while trying to not harm the original work as much as possible······”

It felt like an introduction to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and the actors other than Kang Woo-jin and Kara showing off their respective characters. Of course, there was a script provided by Disney, and each actor’s free thoughts were added. By the way, Kang Woo-jin’s comment was short and simple.

“The hardest part of filming ‘The Beast’ was wearing the special costume.”

As the event, which lasted about an hour, neared its end, it was time to take questions from the reporters who attended the event. The method was to film the reporters raising their hands one by one, starting with director Bill Lautner and the actors. The director recited into the hand microphone.

-Ugh.

About a dozen reporters raised their hands. However, the response was lukewarm. The questions were also ordinary.

“Director, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was already facing public criticism regarding its live-action version even before production began. Do you think the film will be able to put those controversies to rest once it is released?”

“Of course. I am sure that everyone, including fans of the original, will thoroughly enjoy ‘Beauty and the Beast.’”

Behind director Bill Lautner’s assurance, the microphone was passed to Kang Woo-jin. Soon, Woo-jin, who had a calm expression, was inwardly shocked.

‘Wow- crazy!’

The reason is simple.

Almost all of the 200 reporters who gathered raised their hands. Compared to the previous time, it was explosive. Some even screamed to the point where half of the reporters jumped out of their seats. Among them, the one Kang Woo-jin chose was a male reporter with a sagging jawline in the middle of the third row.

As soon as the reporter was selected, he shouted.

“Mr. Kang Woo-jin!! Are you sure that ‘Beast’ and ‘Beauty Bella’ aren’t in love in real life?! You and Miley haven’t been able to give any certainty since the dating rumors broke out! The atmosphere has already changed to that you’re just colleagues and a misunderstanding, but the public wants a definitive answer! Are you sure that’s not true?”

Kang Woo-jin, who was looking at the reporter with an indifferent face, glanced at the blonde Kara sitting next to him. She was also looking at Woo-jin, so their eyes met. The eye contact lasted about 3 seconds. Then Kang Woo-jin answered briefly into the hand microphone. It was a very calm, low-toned English.

“No, we are dating.”

Miley Cara’s blue eyes widened.