‘Anna’ Director Wants Public Apology From Coupang Play – Here’s Why
The director and screenwriter for "Anna," which stars Bae Suzy, is planning to take legal action against Coupang Play. While the 6-part episode gained major buzz for its unique storyline and the cast members' portrayal, the OTT service might face a lawsuit for shortening the episodes of the series. Keep on reading for all the details.
Director Lee Joo Young Criticized Coupang Play for Tampering 'Anna'
According to a local news outlet, director Lee Joo Young accused Coupang Play of tampering the K-drama without her consent. Moreover, the PD and screenwriter also pointed out that the OTT services ignored the director's opinion on the drama.
As obtained by the outlet, Lee Joo Young's attorney from the law firm, Siwoo, released a statement expressing her disappointment with the platform.
The director mentioned that Coupang Play had "destroyed the series" by fitting the whole season into a six-part episode.
With this, Lee Joo Young has reached the point where she "can no longer accept it as the same work" that she has created, adding that PD Lee Joo Young "cannot tolerate anymore as a creator of the original piece."
Besides squeezing the series into six episodes, the director also claimed that Coupang Play did not inform her about four of the episodes which have been edited. This suggests that it was different from what she made versus the one being introduced to the viewers.
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With this, she asked to remove her name from the credits but was again ignored by the company.
"I could not let my name be printed on something I had not seen before. Therefore I have contacted Coupang Play multiple times to remove my name from the credit, but I was ignored," she said in a statement.
Director Lee Joo Young Wants Coupang Play to Release Public Apology
On top of the possible lawsuit, the creator of "Anna" sought a public apology from Coupang Play and to release all of the eight original episodes under the director's edition.
In addition, the director wants to ensure that the same incident will never happen again.
Coupang Play Reacts to the Director's Claim
In the same report, Coupang Play reportedly addressed the issue and explained that they "carefully requested director Lee Joo Young to make some changes from February to May" but never received any feedback.
The OTT service continued pointing out that it is difficult to "create content with a popular appeal if we were to edit with the director himself; therefore, we decided to re-edit the episodes."
Released on June 24 with a total of six episodes, "Anna" became a massive hit with viewers, gaining positive responses not just from the audience but also from media outlets.
In addition, Bae Suzy, who played the dual role of Anna and Lee Yoo Mi, received overwhelming praise for her impressive performance.
"Anna" follows the story of a woman who suffers from Ripley's Syndrome. To cope with the disorder, she creates an alter ego but gets caught up in her lies.
Bae Suzy was joined with Jung Eun Chae, Kim Joon Han, and Park Ke Young.
Coupang Play announced that they would release the extended version of the series after a successful wrap-up.
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KDramastars owns this article.
Written by Geca Wills
