{
  "id": 1610252,
  "title": "Actor Yoo Ah-in to return to big screen in director Jang Jae-hyun's occult thriller",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/actor-yoo-ah-in-to-return-to-big-screen-in-director-jang-jae-hyuns-1610252",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T02:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20260818/actor-yoo-ah-in-to-return-to-big-screen-in-director-jang-jae-hyuns-occult-thriller"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Actor Yoo Ah-in is set to return to the big screen in the upcoming mystery occult thriller \"Vampir,\" directed by Jang Jae-hyun. This marks his third appearance in a film since 2023, following a period of controversy. The film's local distributor, NEW, recently announced the cast, which includes Yoo Ah-in. \"Vampir\" revolves around an unidentified contract killer who infiltrates a mysterious pagan group at the behest of a clergyman.\n\nThe film represents Jang Jae-hyun's first project since \"Exhuma\" (2024), which achieved significant success at the box office in Korea. Yoo Ah-in's involvement in \"Vampir\" comes after he was sentenced to one year of prison, suspended for two years, and fined 2 million won ($1,420) for habitual drug use in February 2025. The Supreme Court finalized this sentence about five months later.\n\nFollowing the allegations in 2023, Yoo suspended his activities and withdrew from the second season of Netflix's \"Hellbound.\" His scheduled appearances in films such as \"The Match\" and \"Hi-Five,\" both released in 2025, were also affected. In \"Vampir,\" Yoo Ah-in will portray a bold contract killer who relentlessly pursues the pagan group. The character description suggests a man of considerable determination and strength.",
  "summary": "Actor Yoo Ah-in will return to the big screen in director Jang Jae-hyun's upcoming mystery occult thriller \"Vampir,\" three years after allegations emerged that he had habitually used illegal drugs. The film's local distributor, NEW, on Tuesday announced the cast for the film, including Yoo. \"Vampir\" follows an unidentified contract killer who tracks down a mysterious pagan group at the request of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Actor Yoo Ah-in to return to big screen in director Jang Jae-hyun's occult thriller",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/actor-yoo-ah-in-to-return-to-big-screen-in-director-jang-jae-hyuns-1610689",
        "published": "2026-08-18T01:37:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Actor Yoo Ah-in to return to big screen in director Jang Jae-hyun's occult thriller",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/actor-yoo-ah-in-to-return-to-big-screen-in-director-jang-jae-hyuns",
        "published": "2026-08-18T02:02:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}