Within the South Korean entertainment industry, there is a lot of cross over between the projects an individual is a part of. This means many musicians will try their hand at acting, actors may also be vocalists, and there may be others that branch out and do even more.
Astro's Cha Eun Woo is one of these individuals. Since debuting in 2016 with Astro, the 25 year old has appeared in multiple shows.
These appearances include Korean dramas like True Beauty, My ID is Gangman Beauty, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung, and more.
He has also been a part of different variety and reality shows such as Handsome Tigers and Master in the House.
In addition to already having been a part of so many projects, Cha Eun Woo has many more shows and movies scheduled to premiere over the next year and a half. No one can question the level of his success.
However, there is a new project that Cha Eun Woo is rumored to be leading, and it has many fans scratching their heads at Hollywood.
Kpop: Lost In America is set to begin production in early 2023. The film will follow a Kpop boy group that has travelled to New York City to debut at Madison Square Garden. However, things go awry when they land in Texas with no money, no cell phones, presumably no English speaking abilities, and no way home.
Currently the only actors in talks to be joining the cinematic boy group are Cha Eun Woo and Riverdale's Charles Melton. It is confirmed that Rebel Wilson will also be a part of the project, but her role is yet to be released.
This is the only information that has been released about the film so far, but fans are already starting to question whether the movie will be successful. Here are just a few of the questions being asked about the film and its plot.
1. Why would a Korean group go to New York to debut?
It makes absolutely no sense that a rookie boy group would debut in New York. Kpop as a genre is made for Koreans, regardless of how popular it is becoming around the world. The genre's name literally means 'Korea's popular music'. Why would a Korean group debut outside of Korea or any other Asian country?
Additionally, thinking a pre-debut group would perform at Madison Square Garden is clearly fictional.
The idea that rookies would be performing in an arena that holds nearly 20,000 people is almost laughable.
For comparison, Enhypen was undoubtedly one of the most successful debuts of 2020. Coming from a very affluent company, and having been formed from a survival show, the group had a fanbase before they even released their first single.
In 2022, two years after debut, their first tour played a stop in New York City. The capacity of the venue was slightly over 6,000.
If a two year old group wouldn't perform at a venue with a capacity of 10,000, why would audiences believe that a rookie group would be performing at a place with double the capacity?
2. Do these creators actually know anything about Kpop?
Kpop fans know the security that their favorite artists are surrounded by. These guards and managers are seen taking celebrities to and from schedules, accompanying individuals home on vacations, and they are most often seen with artists at airports.
There is always an administrative figure with the artists. It is highly unlikely that a group would be traveling to a different country without any managers or security.
While the argument can be made that the this movie is fictional and doesn't need to be accurate, the inaccuracies have audiences wondering if the creators understand the world of Kpop.
The writers of the film have credits under movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Legally Blonde, so it is likely that Kpop: Lost In America will have a storyline that parallels a romantic comedy.
However, none of the movie's writers have been credited on films that take any interest in the music industry or Asian culture. How much do they really know about the culture they're writing about?
3. Is this going to be another white savior movie?
As the American entertainment industry is trying to diversify it's content, there is a growing outcry from audiences when non-white characters rarely exist without the need of a white character's help. This is referred to the "White Savior Complex".
This phenomenon has been studied by individuals such as Matthew W. Hughey, Jacqueline Foertsch, Lee Bebout, and more. With Rebel Wilson having been announced as a part of Kpop: Lost In America, fans are wondering if the Korean community will once again be subjected to a white savior centered film.
Not only is the thought frustrating for audiences, it's confusing. After all, Rebel Wilson isn't even American. How much help could she actually be, and why is the Australian native even in Texas?
To make matters worse, Charles Melton is American. If you have enough suspension of disbelief to accept the movie's plot so far, you can accept that a group full of members that speak little English would be in trouble if they were stranded alone in an English-speaking country.
However, it is confirmed that at least one of the members of this group is a Korean-American that was born in Alaska. English is his first language! Additionally, this begs the question of whether the other members of this fictional group will speak English in the film.
All of the writers confirmed for the film seem to have no Korean heritage. Because if this, it is unknown how much of the Korean language or culture will actually be used in the script.
There are many questions surrounding this unreleased project.
While audiences wait to learn more about this film, they can enjoy other films that can introduce them to genuine Korean cinema.
In fact, Cha Eun Woo himself has a new film releasing on November 16th called Decibel.
Although the future of Kpop: Lost In America is unclear, there are still outlets to bring Korean stories, both fiction and non-fiction, to Western audiences. Through these stories, we can celebrate culture, diversity, and the expansion of our creative spheres.
What do you think? Does Kpop: Lost In America sound like a movie you'll be running to theaters to see? Let us know in the comments!
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