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The upcoming Korean film Cobweb, directed by Kim Ji-woon, has found itself in trouble with a lawsuit filed against the film production company Anthology Studio by the second son and two other family members of late movie director Kim Ki-young.
The filing of the lawsuit claimed that the movie's main character was based on Kim Ki-young and therefore demanded the ban of the movie's screening in public spaces since it sheds a bad light on the late director.
After the first hearing of the lawsuit, which was held on September 13, 2023, the production strongly disagreed with the claims and followed it up by releasing an official statement explaining that the character in the movie is purely fictional and has nothing to do with the late director.
Cobweb's production company, Anthology Studio, released a statement strongly declining the claims
Cobweb is an upcoming Korean film directed by Kim Ji-woon and is slated for release on September 27, 2023. The film, starring several significant faces of the Korean film industry like Song Kang-ho, Im Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been, and Krystal Jung, has naturally garnered the attention of many as they eagerly await its release. However, its synopsis has led claims to resurface as a lawsuit.
The film revolves around a director named Kim, who's obsessed with the belief that the Western movie Cobweb, filmed in the 1970s, would have a much better ending if it was re-filmed. With a mixture of dark comedy and depressing themes, the movie is expected to give a behind-the-lens perspective of film-making.
The movie has generated much hype and was invited to both the 76th Cannes Film Festival and 70th Sydney Film Festival, proving itself as a remarkable work. However, the family of Kim Ki-young claimed that the main character, Director Kim, sounds too much like the late director. They back up their claims by saying that Kim Ji-woon once mentioned in an interview that the main character was inspired by the renowned director who passed away in 1998.
The family's problem with the film is that the main character, Director Kim, is sometimes presented as a villainous character with certain negative and evil features. Since this might damage and demean the image of Kim Ki-young, his family has been unwelcoming of the film's public screening.
While the lawsuit progresses, Anthology Studios released a statement on September 14 expressing that Cobweb isn't about or related to the late director Kim Ki-young.
As people in this film industry with utmost respect toward the celebrated director Kim Ki-young, we sincerely apologize to the late director's family members for causing them concerns. However, the main character of 'Cobweb' is a purely fictional character, whose image reflects the generic characteristics of film directors or creators across all time periods.
The statement continued,
It has been clarified time and again that the main character was not in fact based off of the late director Kim Ki Young, and the film has never attempted to use this story for any form of promotion whatsoever. For now, the studio plans on hearing out the deceased director's family. At the same time, we will do our best to ensure that no misunderstandings arise in any future promotional and marketing tactics.
As the lawsuit continues, the conclusive statement about the stances taken by both parties and the future of the film becomes a natural topic of curiosity.
