"Someone had to bring this long series to a close, and I didn't want to shy away from the pressure of 'finishing it.' Any fear was short-lived. The thing I paid the most attention to while filming this movie was making it well so we could communicate with the audience."
Actor Byun Yo-han is bringing a grand finale to the "Tazza" franchise, which has spanned a full 20 years. Following in the footsteps of previous leads—Goni (Cho Seung-woo) in Part 1, Dae-gil (Choi Seung-hyun) in Part 2, and Il-chul (Park Jeong-min) in Part 3—he takes on the role of Tae-young, the fourth master gambler, to deliver a dynamic journey across gambling tables filled with friendship and betrayal.
Based on cartoonist Huh Young-man's hit comic of the same name, "Tazza" began its legendary run in 2006 with director Choi Dong-hoon's film version. Starring Cho Seung-woo, Kim Hye-soo, Baek Yoon-sik, Yoo Hae-jin, and Kim Eung-soo, the movie was released during the Chuseok holiday season in 2006 and drew 5.69 million viewers nationwide. Beyond its box office success, it spawned iconic catchphrases like "I'm a woman who graduated from Ewha, you know" and "Double down, ask no questions," earning immense affection. It was a masterpiece that used fierce gambling tables and bloody battles as a metaphor for life while weaving in satire and humor.
Building on its solid original work, the franchise spawned "Tazza: The Hidden Card" (2014) and "Tazza: One-Eyed Jack" (2019), with the fourth installment, "Tazza: Beelzebub's Song," bringing the ultimate conclusion.
Byun Yo-han, who plays the protagonist Jang Tae-young, attended a press conference held at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on the morning of the 18th and explained, "The 2006 release of 'Tazza' received tremendous love, and I was a huge fan of it myself. While Parts 1 through 3 shared a single universe starting with Goni, 'Tazza: Beelzebub's Song' is a completely independent story. Audiences who haven't seen the previous series can comfortably jump right in and focus entirely on our own story."
Jang Tae-young, played by Byun Yo-han, is a character who achieved success in the online casino business, lost everything due to the betrayal of his friend Park Tae-young, and prepares for revenge.
Selecting "human desire" as the key theme running through the work, Byun expressed confidence, stating, "It deals with fundamental topics like desire, betrayal, and instinct. It will be a movie that people of all ages can thoroughly enjoy."
Since the friendship and betrayal between Jang Tae-young and Park Tae-young form the central axis of the movie, the acting chemistry between Byun Yo-han and Noh Jae-won is also generating massive interest. Byun praised Noh, saying, "The Park Tae-won that Noh Jae-won created has a 200 percent synchronicity rate with the character in Huh Young-man's original work." Noh responded by saying, "Actor Byun Yo-han was Jang Tae-young himself to me. Watching his acting made me envious, made me want to be like him, and even led me to secretly copy him. He was the crucial key for me in portraying Park Tae-young."
All previous installments of "Tazza" were released during the Chuseok season and achieved meaningful box office results. This gave rise to the slogan, "Tazza for Chuseok."
Expressing his confidence in the project, Byun said, "We are coming to greet you this Chuseok. While the slogan 'Tazza for Chuseok' is important, we actors acted with genuine affection for one another, went all-in, and made this with the determination to risk our lives. We spared neither our hearts, our bodies, nor our time. From the moment we cranked up until today, we did our absolute best. We are going to bet and stake everything on our movie."
The film was directed by Choi Kook-hee, who previously helmed "Default" and "Life Is Beautiful." Director Choi remarked, "'Tazza' has traditionally been released during Chuseok. Recognizing the perception that 'Tazza belongs to Chuseok,' we worked backward from the schedule to hit the Chuseok release window."
He added, "I feel honored and responsible to be working on the final piece that ties together 20 years. I believe our movie could only come into existence because of the three preceding works. I definitely want to send my regards as a director to my senior directors."
"Tazza: Beelzebub's Song" will open in theaters on September 23, one day prior to the start of the Chuseok holiday.
(Photo: Yonhap News) (Reported by Kim Ji-hye, SBS Entertainment News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.