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‘Parasite’ Star Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead Amidst Allegations Of Drug Problems

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Lee Sun-kyun

The tragic death of Lee Sun-kyun, the celebrated actor known for his role in the Oscar-winning film ‘Parasite‘, has sent shockwaves through South Korea and the international community. Sun-kyun, aged 48, was found dead in a car near Waryong Park in central Seoul, in what police suspect was a suicide. His death has reignited debates about the treatment of mental health and addiction in South Korea, with some referring to the reported suicide as a case of ‘social murder’, a term that implies societal or systemic factors contributing to his death.

Parasite Official Trailer

Sun-kyun’s career was marked by a diverse range of roles, from heart-wrenching dramas to thrilling sci-fi series. His international acclaim peaked with ‘Parasite’, a film satirizing South Korea’s deep social inequalities. However, his life took a dramatic turn when he became the subject of a police investigation over alleged illegal drug use. Despite multiple negative drug tests, the media and public scrutiny escalated, leading to widespread stigmatization.

Lee Sun-kyun Funeral

This situation exemplifies what French sociologist Emile Durkheim termed “social murder” – deaths and suicides caused by societal structures that leave individuals with no choice but to end their lives. In South Korea, the stigma associated with drug abuse is intense. Drug abusers are often branded as criminals rather than patients needing rehabilitation. This view is reinforced by government policies that prioritize criminalization over medical treatment, as seen in the Yoon administration’s approach to drug offenses. The budget for medical treatment of substance addiction was cut by 85%, leaving hospitals with insufficient funds for treating addicts.

The public reaction to Sun-kyun’s case was severe. The media trailed him relentlessly, and the government expressed a willingness to ban those accused of drug offenses from appearing on TV. His case was further complicated by the Korea Communications Commission’s stance and President Yoon’s creation of a drug-busting task force, which focused more on arrests than rehabilitation.

Lee Sun-kyun

As we reflect on the life and untimely passing of Lee Sun-kyun, it’s crucial to remember the human behind the headlines. His journey, marked by incredible talent and tragic circumstances, sheds light on the often unseen struggles faced by those in the public eye. This moment serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of empathy and understanding, especially towards those grappling with mental health and addiction challenges. In honoring Lee Sun-kyun’s memory, may we also strive to foster a more compassionate and supportive society, where individuals are met with care and assistance, rather than judgment and isolation. His legacy, beyond his remarkable contributions to cinema, will hopefully inspire a shift towards greater kindness and humanity in our approach to mental health and societal pressures.

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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