Yoo Ah-in returns with "Vampire" after 3 years of probation... challenges mystery occult with Lee Sung-min and Lee Joon-hyuk

Actor Yoo Ah-in is resuming his acting career through director Jang Jae-hyun’s new film ″Vampire.″ Yoo Ah-in is making a comeback to commercial films about three years after being convicted on charges of habitual drug use. Film investment and distribution company NEW announced the casting lineup for ″Vampire″ on the 18th and stated that full-scale filming will begin this month. ″Vampire″ is a mystery occult film depicting the process of an unidentified hitman pursuing a mysterious pagan group at the request of a clergyman. Director Jang Jae-hyun is directing again, following his previous works ″Mausoleum,″ ″Svaha: The Sixth Finger,″ and ″The Priests.″ The recent script reading was attended by main cast members including Yoo Ah-in, Lee Sung-min, Lee Joon-hyuk, Doy, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Choi Hyun-wook. Yoo Ah-in plays the role of a hitman chasing the pagan group, portraying a bold character who changes as he encounters mysterious beings. Lee Sung-min plays a clergyman who breaks taboos for his beliefs, depicting a character conflicted between responsibility and guilt. Lee Joon-hyuk plays a pagan longing for immortality, Doy plays a veiled girl, Yoon Kyung-ho appears as a smuggling broker accompanying the pagan group, and Choi Hyun-wook appears as a U.S. military lieutenant with a mysterious purpose. Yoo Ah-in was prosecuted on charges of habitual use of medical propofol and other drugs 181 times over about one and a half years from September 2020 under the pretext of cosmetic procedures, and for illegally obtaining and purchasing about 1,100 sleeping pills under another person’s name from May 2021 to August 2023. The first trial was held in November 2023, and he was sentenced to one year in prison and detained in the first trial, but the sentence was reduced to one year in prison with a two-year probation in the second trial, leading to his release. Subsequently, the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence of one year in prison with two years probation and a fine of 2 million won. Yoo Ah-in suspended his activities after the incident, withdrew from the Netflix series ″Hellbound″ Season 2, and the release schedules of films ″Seungbu″ and ″High Five″ were disrupted. Recently, his exclusive contract with agency UAA ended. ″Vampire″ is aiming for release next year or the year after.