Poster for the film ‘Bigwang’. Provided by Playgram
The humanistic family noir ‘Bigwang’, which brings together actors Ryu Seung-ryong and Ha Ji-won and director Lee Ji-won of ‘Miss Baek’, will hit theaters on September 2. Distributor Playgram and production company Ace Factory on the 9th announced the confirmed release date and unveiled a launch poster and trailer.
‘Bigwang’ follows Jung-gu and Nam-mi, once a top-star couple who split after the sudden appearance of their daughter Dong-ju, and eight years later dig into the truth to save Dong-ju when she becomes entangled in a shocking incident. It tightly captures the desperate yet tender solidarity of people clinging to one another at the brink of crisis to survive.
Lead actor Ryu Seung-ryong plays ‘Jung-gu’, a father who was once the best baseball player but fell from grace with the arrival of his daughter. Having led ten-million-viewer films such as ‘Myeongnyang’ and ‘Extreme Job’ and, most recently, taken the Grand Prize in the TV category at the 2026 Baeksang Arts Awards for ‘The Story of Manager Kim Who Works at a Major Corporation and Owns a Home in Seoul’, Ryu delivers a weighty paternal love that stops at nothing to protect his daughter in this work.
Ha Ji-won becomes ‘Nam-mi’, who has fallen from top star to an entertainer working to make ends meet. Though Nam-mi’s life goes downhill because of Dong-ju, she cannot turn away from the girl who reminds her of her own childhood, making her a multidimensional character. Ha Ji-won, who has shown flawless character immersion in every project, leads the film with even deeper emotional acting.
Joining them, actor Kim Si-a, who debuted in ‘Miss Baek’ after beating 600-to-1 odds, reunites with director Lee Ji-won as the daughter ‘Dong-ju’. Dong-ju carries the core narrative as a girl driven to the edge after being named a suspect following her friend’s death. Alongside them, acclaimed actors including Kim Hae-sook, Kim Sun-young, and Kim Young-min join as a distinctive family determined to protect Dong-ju, completing a seamless acting ensemble.
At the helm, director Lee Ji-won proved her craft by winning Best New Director in the Film category at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards with her previous work ‘Miss Baek’. With ‘Bigwang’, she is expected to expand the message of ‘salvation’ shown in her earlier film to the realm of family, leaving audiences with an even deeper, weightier afterglow.
