Yoo Ah In did say that he wanted the drama "Secret Love Affair" to be his last project before he enlisted in the army but now he's had a film offer that may be too good to refuse.
Director Lee Joon Ik has asked the actor to play the part of the controversial Prince Sado in the upcoming film "Sado."
"Yoo Ah In has been deliberating over starring in the film for a while," said a representative of the film's distribution company.
If he accepts the role, he will play the son of the Joseon Dynasty King Yeongjo. Song Kang Ho will play the king in the film.
Prince Sado is a historical figure that is the subject of much debate. He was suffocated in a rather unusual form of execution. Since court rules forbade the king from ordering his son's execution, Sado's mother Lady Yi ordered that the prince climb into a rice chest on a hot day.
There are varying reports as to the events that led up to the execution. Some said the prince was mentally ill and randomly killed and raped people. His wife, Lady Hyegyeong, said that her own father's political allies framed her husband and that the 27-year-old prince was a victim of a conspiracy. Lady Hyegyeong remained loyal to her husband for the rest of her life and was eventually buried with him. She wrote about what happened in "The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong."
What really happened remains uncertain but historians keep looking at the facts from different perspectives. In 1899 Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyeong were posthumously given the titles of Emperor Yangjo and Empress Hyegyeong
The film role of Lady Hyegyeong has been offered to actress Moon Geun Young. If she accepts it, it will be her first film role in eight years, since she appeared in "Love Me Not." Since then she has appeared in several dramas including "Cinderella's Sister," "Mary Stayed Out All Night" and "Cheomdamdung Alice."
Moon Geun Young's agency Namoo Actors has not confirmed any details about the coming film.
"The film might be Geun Young's comeback to the big screen after eight years so we want to make sure everything is perfectly arranged," said a Namoo Actors representative.
Moon Geun Young's last role was also in a historical drama. In "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji," she played Yoo Jung, a character based on real-life 16th century historical figure Baek Pa Sun, the first female potter and porcelain artist in the Joseon Dynasty.
Yoo Ah In's last drama before "Secret Love Affair" was also a saeguk. He starred as King Sukjong in "Jang Ok Jung." This year he can also be seen in the films "Veteran" and "Elegant Lies."
