Jang Hang-jun proposes absurd 80 billion won fee for Cho Jung-seok

Director Jang Hang-jun revealed an imaginary project titled 'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' on the SBS variety show 'Master Hang-jun' on the 29th. The fictional production features a Joseon Dynasty setting with zombies and car chases, including a proposed 80 billion won appearance fee for actor Cho Jung-seok.

Director Jang Hang-jun is returning with a next project titled 'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' that pushes the boundaries of imagination. From the unconventional setting of combining a true story from the Joseon Dynasty with car chases and zombies to claims of securing $200 million in investment and an 80 billion won appearance fee for lead actor Cho Jung-seok, the scale is extraordinary from the start. However, this is not an announcement of actual film production plans, but rather a story unfolding on a variety show driven by Jang Hang-jun's signature wit and extraordinary imagination. The set was thrown into chaos by Jang's cinematic ambitions, which grow larger the more absurd they become.

In the third episode of the SBS variety program 'Master Hang-jun', which airs at 10:20 PM on the 29th, the worldview and casting plans for the massive project 'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' conceived by Jang Hang-jun will be revealed. Jang introduces the work as being based on a true story from the Joseon Dynasty. Instead of following the familiar grammar of historical dramas, he draws the interest of the cast by repeatedly presenting settings that extremely expand the imagination.

The most eye-catching element is the setting that breaks the boundary between historical dramas and action films. Jang Hang-jun reveals a plan to include car chases involving palanquin bearers. The very idea of staging a chase scene between palanquin bearers in the Joseon Dynasty, where automobiles did not exist, induces laughter. He intends to reinterpret the palanquins and movement scenes familiar in traditional historical dramas like chase scenes in modern action movies. By adding that zombies will also appear, the genre of the work expands from a historical drama into a hybrid spanning action and horror.

The absurd settings become even more interesting the moment the writing staff is revealed. Jang Hang-jun discloses that Kim Eun-hee is writing the scenes featuring Joseon Dynasty zombies. With the combination of Director Jang Hang-jun and writer Kim Eun-hee, plus the genre device of zombies, 'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' takes on the form of a fairly concrete production meeting despite being an imaginary project. This idea of adding genre tension to a historical background makes one imagine what kind of scenes might actually unfold.

The setting that Cho Jung-seok has been selected as the lead actor is also revealed. The story is structured around the actor Cho Jung-seok within the massive worldview conceived by Jang Hang-jun. The casting announcement, which evokes the actor's image of moving between comedy and drama, gives the project an even more plausible appearance. However, this is a setting for a virtual project introduced on the broadcast and does not mean that actual film production or official casting has been confirmed.

The real laughter erupts when the discussion turns to money. Jang Hang-jun inflates the scale of the project by claiming he has secured as much as $200 million in investment. However, the atmosphere shifts when Song Eun-i immediately asks if he knows how much $200 million is in Korean won. Laughter is drawn from the sight of Jang Hang-jun, who was building momentum with massive numbers, becoming flustered by the unexpected question. While he is unrestrained in increasing the scale of the movie, flaws are revealed the moment the realistic scale of the investment is scrutinized.

The situation escalates uncontrollably when the appearance fee for lead actor Cho Jung-seok is mentioned. As it is stated that Cho Jung-seok should receive around 80 billion won as his fee, the massive project conceived by Jang Hang-jun hits the wall of the budget once again. When the 80 billion won appearance fee is added to the $200 million investment, an emergency meeting is staged on set. The setting, which began by discussing the worldview of the work, suddenly transforms into a negotiation site over astronomical production costs.

The fun of this broadcast does not end simply with calling out large numbers. The center of the laughter lies in Jang Hang-jun's exaggerated cinematic ambition, which integrates zombies and car chases into a Joseon Dynasty true story, brings in famous writers and actors, and relentlessly inflates investment and appearance fees. Combined with Song Eun-i's realistic questions and Cho Jung-seok's radical appearance fee demand, a situational comedy is completed where bluffing and a sense of reality collide.

'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' is still an imaginary project introduced on the broadcast, but it is expected to be an opportunity to see what kind of stories Jang Hang-jun can create and how plausibly he can package them. Interest is focused on what kind of laughter Jang Hang-jun's planning—which twists all elements of film production with variety show imagination, from settings that overturn the grammar of historical dramas to disputes over astronomical investment and appearance fees—will bring to viewers.

The commotion surrounding the worldview of 'The Man Who Lives with the King 2' conceived by Jang Hang-jun and the 80 billion won appearance fee of Cho Jung-seok will be revealed in the third episode of SBS 'Master Hang-jun', airing at 10:20 PM on the 29th.

Read the original (Korean)