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Yoo Ah-in is filming Vampire. That is not the end of his probation.

NEW confirmed Yoo Ah-in in Jang Jae-hyun's Vampir after a script reading. A 2028 target is not a cleared return; his suspended sentence runs to 2027.

S Synortex ·

TL;DR — Distributor NEW said on 18 August 2026 that Yoo Ah-in stars in Jang Jae-hyun's occult film Vampir, attended a script reading, and that filming was due to start that month for a 2028 theatrical target. The Korea Herald, relaying Yonhap, calls it his first new project since the 2023 drug case. Yonhap News TV says his suspended sentence runs until July 2027. A table read is not a cleared return.

Yoo Ah-in is attached to a movie. That sentence is doing extra work online that the distributor did not put in the press note.

What NEW actually announced

Star News, carrying NEW's 18 August briefing, said Vampir had locked its cast and would begin full-scale filming in August. The film follows an unidentified contract killer hired by a clergyman to chase a pagan group. Yoo plays the killer. Also at the reading: Lee Sung-min, Lee Joon-hyuk, Doi, Yoon Kyung-ho and Choi Hyun-wook, with Jang Jae-hyun directing. Theatrical release: 2028.

The Korea Herald published the same facts from Yonhap, including a NEW photo of Yoo at the reading. A follow-up Herald piece called Vampir a working title and said principal photography began that month.

Claim Status Source
Yoo stars in Vampir; script-reading photos released 18 Aug 2026 Confirmed Korea Herald (Yonhap); Star News
Role: unidentified contract killer Confirmed Korea Herald; Star News
Director Jang Jae-hyun, first feature since Exhuma (2024) Confirmed Korea Herald; Star News
2028 theatrical target; filming set for August 2026 Confirmed as NEW's plan Korea Herald; Star News
First new project since the 2023 case Reported Korea Herald
Suspended sentence until July 2027 Reported Yonhap News TV
Public acceptance, or a "full comeback" Not confirmed Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo record criticism
Locked release date Not confirmed NEW gave a target year

Why the booking is loaded

The Herald, citing Yonhap, says Yoo was sentenced in February 2025 to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and fined 2 million won for habitual drug use, with the Supreme Court finalising that about five months later. Yonhap News TV dates the 2023 halt to propofol allegations and puts the suspended term through July 2027.

He left Netflix's Hellbound season two. The Herald notes The Match and Hi-Five, both released in 2025, had been filmed before the investigation and were delayed. Maeil Business says Vampir is the first new shoot after the case.

Instiz and other boards recirculating the reading photos are heat. They do not add facts NEW has not stated.

A 2028 target also means the film is years from theatres. Booking a role during a suspended sentence is a production decision, not a court clearing him.

FAQ

Is this his first work since 2023?

The Herald calls it his first new project since the case. Films released later were already shot.

Does a script reading mean he is off probation?

No. Yonhap News TV still puts the suspended sentence through July 2027.

Has the public accepted the return?

Not on the record we opened. Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo describe a cold response. That is reporting on reaction, not a verdict.

Sources

Image: “Yoo Ah-In 유아인 20181123” by NINE STARS, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Blue Dragon Film Awards, 23 November 2018, not the Vampir reading.

#yoo-ah-in#vampire#film#jang-jae-hyun#korea
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