'Tazza 4' Director Choi Kook-hee Calls It 'Entertainment for Adult Audiences'; Byun Yo-han Lost 10 kg for Action and Bed Scenes [The Film]

[Financial News] During Chuseok, when families head to theaters together, the final installment of the 'Tazza: The High Rollers' series is taking aim at adult audiences. Director Choi said at a press conference following a media screening of 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' held on the 9th at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, "It is an entertainment film for adult audiences."

'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' is scheduled for release during the Chuseok holiday, but it received an adults-only rating. Responding to comments that the violence and nudity were somewhat too intense for the whole family, Director Choi explained, "The 'Tazza: The High Rollers' series has always been released during Chuseok and has always been rated for adults. Since we aimed to make entertainment for adult audiences, we did not deliberately tone down the level of expression."
Based on the final story in Huh Young-man's original 'Tazza: The High Rollers' comic series, 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' follows the betrayal and revenge of two friends who share the same given name but have different family names. It is a crime film about Jang Tae-young (Byun Yo-han), who succeeds through an online casino business, and his longtime friend and business partner Park Tae Young (Roh Jae-won), who takes everything from him. The two reunite in the global gambling world and engage in a life-or-death showdown.
Byun Yo-han, who plays Jang Tae-young, maintained strict control of his physique throughout filming to handle the action and revealing scenes. He recalled, "The director told me to lose weight. I weighed more than 80 kilograms at the time, but after losing more than 10 kilograms, I stopped weighing myself altogether. I devoted a great deal of time to weight training and managing my diet." He added, "I also continued abstaining from alcohol and managing my diet until the end of the production for the bed scenes."

Beelzebub is a demon known in Christian tradition as the 'chief of demons' or the 'Lord of the Flies.' The film opens with a harrowing image of Jang Tae-young (Byun Yo-han), bound and covered in blood in the middle of the open sea.
Director Choi, who describes himself as an avid fan of the original comic, said, "It was an honor to make the final installment of the series." He explained, "Part 4 of the original 'Tazza: The High Rollers' takes the form of a side story, and it was serialized at a different time from Parts 1 through 3. It is a stronger and more intense work than the earlier stories. I focused on the characters' desires and tried to incorporate the envy, jealousy and betrayal in the original into the film effectively."
The film retains the original's framework of friendship, betrayal, transformation into a cardsharp and revenge. Director Choi expressed satisfaction, saying, "Jang Tae-young is a lucky and charismatic character. Park Tae Young, on the other hand, is someone with a sense of deficiency who has made up for what he lacks through hard work. To highlight the differences between the two characters, we paired actors with contrasting qualities. I enjoyed watching their performances throughout, and that synergy came through well in the film."
Roh Jae-won admitted that his senior colleague Byun Yo-han was so capable in many ways that he genuinely inspired envy and jealousy. He said, "To me, Byun Yo-han was Jang Tae-young himself. As a junior actor, I was truly blessed to work on that set. I still have my senior's name saved in my phone as 'Jang Tae.'"

Jang Tae-young survives against all odds at death's door and, after losing everything, takes refuge with a reclusive poker champion as his master. Like Goni learning gambling techniques from Pyeong Gyeong-jang, Jang's initiation into the world of poker unfolds with a somewhat comic touch, briefly easing the heavy mood of the revenge story.
This film is also the first in the 'Tazza: The High Rollers' series to expand its setting beyond Korea to Japan and Vietnam. Japanese actress Ayaka Miyoshi plays Kaneko, who designs the global gambling circuit, while Tsuyoshi Ihara appears as the yakuza member Sasaki. Hong Dao, known as Vietnam's national actress, has also joined the cast.
Regarding the film's prospects overseas, Director Choi predicted, "We invited Vietnam's national actress Hong Dao while filming in Vietnam, and in Japan we cast actors who are well known for their Netflix productions. Hold'em is a game popular around the world, so I think it will have an advantage over hwatu in reaching international audiences."
Byun Yo-han reportedly contacted Cho Seung-woo, the lead actor in the first film, after deciding to appear in this movie. Asked what kind of assessment he hoped to receive from Cho Seung-woo, he said, "I want to hear him praise me by saying, 'You worked hard and gave it your all.'"
'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' will be released on the 23rd.
[email protected] Shin Jin-ah Reporter