The Match, the long-shelved Go drama starring Lee Byung Hun and Yoo Ah In, might finally see a theatrical release, with March being eyed as a potential launch window.
Distribution company BY4M Studio confirmed on Monday, “While we have taken on distribution rights, discussions regarding domestic release are still ongoing. Nothing concrete has been decided.”
The film, which chronicles the legendary rivalry between Korean Go masters Cho Hun Hyun and Lee Chang Ho, features Lee Byung Hun as Cho and Yoo as Lee. Originally set for Netflix distribution through Acemaker Movieworks, the streaming giant indefinitely postponed the release following Yoo’s drug scandal.
The film isn’t alone in limbo—Yoo’s other feature Hi.5 remains in similar distribution uncertainty.
The postponements follow Yoo’s October 2023 indictment for allegedly administering propofol 181 times between 2020 and 2022. Additional charges included fraudulent prescription of sleeping pills using others’ identities and marijuana use in the United States. In September, the initial trial resulted in a one-year prison sentence, finding Yoo guilty of habitual medical narcotic use and fraudulent sleeping pill purchases, while acquitting him of charges related to instigating marijuana use and evidence tampering due to insufficient evidence.
The appeals court concluded its deliberations on December 24th, with the final verdict scheduled for February 18th.
Source (1)
