Chae Jong Hyeop's agency has confirmed the cancellation of his contract for the new film "Turtle" (literal title), citing schedule delays and indicating that the issue might escalate to legal proceedings.
On Wednesday, entertainment news site JoyNews24 reported that Blitzway Entertainment sent a certified letter to production house Popcorn Film informing them of the actor's withdrawal from the project.
Popcorn Film, on behalf of its legal agents, replied that "any unilateral claim to cancel or terminate the contract has no legal effect," indicating a possible legal battle over the matter.
Blitzway Entertainment, in a press release, stated the contract had "specifically laid out the filming schedule" and that Chae was to begin a new drama production after finishing the film within the time agreed upon.
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"However, due to circumstances on the production company's side, the scheduled filming period passed," the agency said.
"We confirmed that no prior consultations or approvals were made regarding changes to the filming schedule between the actor, the drama's broadcasting channel, and the drama production team. As a result, we had no choice but to notify the production company of contract termination."
The agency further said that they had offered rescheduling the film shoot of the movie after the shoot of the drama, but no consensus was reached.
"Consequently, we issued a formal notice of contract termination," Blitzway added.
"While we remain committed to resolving this matter amicably, if no resolution is reached, we will proceed with legal measures in accordance with the contract and relevant laws."
