Akimbo.
A term referring to wielding weapons in both hands simultaneously.
It’s an expression you often see while playing FPS gas.
In Korean terms—
‘Dual pistols.’
But applying that to Batman?
Was this the “distinction” they ant by making an Asian Batman?
Still.
"Isn’t Batman supposed to follow a no-kill policy?"
I couldn’t help but wonder if they were about to change even the core setup of Batman.
The Warner Bros. team gave a faint smile and shook their heads at my question.
"You really know Batman well, Mr. Donghu."
"Yes, I like him."
"Haha, we understand what you’re concerned about."
A figure from Warner Bros.
Specifically, Batman’s director, producer, and even co-writer—
Cristo Daran stroked his beard and continued speaking.
"Batman is definitely no-kill. So we’re planning to replace the bullets with rubber rounds."
"Rubber?"
"Yes, they’ll hurt like hell when you get hit."
Batman sticks to his no-kill rule.
And Director Cristo intended to stretch that definition quite a bit.
"As long as you don't kill them, that’s your Batman."
"Not killing... you an we’re pushing it to the edge?"
"Yes, exactly to that edge. Permanent damage is a possibility too."
"What?"
"Donghu Kim, I still watch the movie you starred in, True Hero."
That sudden comnt made blink in confusion.
But after a few seconds, I understood why he said it.
"Could it be...?"
"Yes. Batman, who enforces justice... isn’t that a true hero too?"
The hero in True Hero beat criminals to a pulp with his bare fists.
Neutralized them from a distance with baseballs, and finished them off with brass-knuckled punches.
The reason that mory ca up here — was simple.
"To make sure they ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) can never commit a cri again. To deal judgnt thoroughly! Modern style!"
In other words, a Batman who delivers judgnt — right to the brink of death, but never crossing the line.
"Of course, the script isn’t finished yet, and the sets are still under construction. We have a lot of hurdles ahead."
Still, Cristo wanted to know they were planning along these lines.
I nodded.
He took that as a sign of approval and carefully handed sothing.
"What’s this?"
"Well, this is our first real one-on-one eting... I’m getting ahead of myself because there’s so much I want to say."
It turned out to be material related to special forces training.
"Starting with akimbo techniques, it’s a program designed for various martial arts moves."
"Am I supposed to do this?"
"Oh, no, no. Just know it exists. We haven’t even properly started shooting yet."
Given how restricted gun training is in Asia, it seed the production team was preparing this specifically for the Batman role.
Normally, it would make sense to accept such an offer.
Training like this usually takes at least three to six months.
It was sothing I could obviously do for a movie.
But—
‘I’m different.’
My case was very different from the usual.
"If possible, could I start training after the script is finalized, or at least after Batman’s character setup script is complete?"
If the script was completed and I could fully imrse myself—
'Maybe I could unlock a new talent for the first ti in a long while.'
With that hopeful thought in mind, I answered.
"Yes, yes! Of course. We’re grateful just for your willingness. Honestly, many actors would just use stunt doubles."
Director Cristo readily nodded.
It seed he was simply happy that I was willing to train.
The less stunt double use and the more direct action by the actor, the better the film tended to be. It was understandable.
'Dual pistols, not killing... a Batman who enforces judgnt.'
Just hearing about it was thrilling.
And looking through the material, there was sothing else that caught my eye.
"Will Batman also use tonfas?"
"Ah, that’s not confird yet, but the gun barrel for Batman is going to be long."
"Sorry?"
"If he runs out of ammo, he’ll flip the gun and use it reversed."
Sssak.
Director Cristo mid using the gun like a tonfa.
The mont I saw that—
‘I’m convinced. This is going to be huge.’
A truly new kind of Batman was about to be born.
***
While Kim Donghu was busy with movie etings, the entire world was in an uproar because of him.
Winning the highest honor at Cannes with wasn’t enough.
With , he made sure the whole world rembered his na.
And now, he had even conquered the everyday world through .
A true triple hit of success.
Every major community was completely plastered with talk about Kim Donghu.
This was the mont when the whole world really ca to know Kim Donghu.
ㄴIt’s unfair that this face exists only in Korea
ㄴDistribute one Kim Donghu to every country!
ㄴHis personality is so good too, the way he cares for the chefs is amazing
The Western reactions were, of course, overwhelmingly positive.
Honestly, it was only natural.
In Korea, the viewership increased by 100 tis.
And on YouTube, the numbers were even crazier.
had a 24-hour streaming setup on YouTube.
What they called the "boiled bone" live stream.
Usually, the average viewer count hovered around 300.
But when Kim Donghu appeared for the second episode, it hit about 9 million views.
In simple math, that’s about a 30,000x increase.
It was like numbers scribbled by an elentary schooler.
ㄴCody TV is seriously about to soar, scary scary
ㄴHow many CF deals will flood in because of Kim Donghu
ㄴAt least until next month, this effect will continue, right?
ㄴThe production team seriously needs to huddle and rethink things 😂
ㄴThe mont they get complacent, they’ll crash right back down for real
ㄴHonestly, no one could’ve predicted this level of success 😂
ㄴCalling this a ga jackpot is putting it mildly
ㄴWhat’s with the way you’re talking?
Normally, when an actor appears nonstop like this, people would get tired of seeing them or feel like it’s too much.
But Kim Donghu didn’t have that problem.
Because every role he took was completely different.
ㄴIn Musashi he was a swordsman, in The Pianist a psycho killer, and in variety shows, just a foodie 😂 look at that range
ㄴHe’s never played the sa kind of role, no wonder
Especially the switch from to was praised.
From a cold-blooded, elegant killer — eating beside dead bodies and calmly playing the piano — to suddenly turning into a foodie who ate for 17 hours straight.
That image shift completely wiped away any lingering "killer" associations.
And naturally, this flow brought in advertisers.
The fiercest fight broke out among the big franchise companies.
Especially pizza and hamburger chains.
The global franchise giants.
They all wanted Kim Donghu’s face next to their burgers.
As for alcohol companies — it wasn’t even a question.
Since he’d hit it big with eating, they were convinced that if they rode that montum and shot eating-related CFs, it would explode.
"Kim Donghu! Kim Donghu! No matter what, get Kim Donghu!"
"I don’t care if it’s a short-term contract, just slap his face on it!"
"You know Kim Donghu’s loyalty, right? He even showed up for the last party of Brilliant Uniform when it was going bankrupt!"
"Do you know how many companies he still works with just out of loyalty? If the conditions are right, he just keeps going!"
Everyone absolutely demanded Kim Donghu.
"FJ... Ilyang Foods... do you know how huge the trickle-down effect is from just standing next to Kim Donghu? Their stock price jumped 20%!"
"What burgers does Kim Donghu usually eat? What? He just orders the entire fast food nu? Agh, I’m losing my mind!"
They were desperately trying to find any association with him.
"Yup, if I fail to land this contract, I’ll just die~"
So were literally betting everything on it.
"Yeah yeah, it’s true, I managed to schedule a eting with Choi Seokho."
So even succeeded in setting up etings.
"Seokho! Did you know we’re basically family? My cousin’s dog’s cousin’s best friend’s vet goes to the sa hospital as yours!"
Others were desperately mobilizing every connection they had.
It was truly a mad, insane CF war over Kim Donghu.
And the problem was — this was just the beginning.
As if following the saying "Double it when you’re winning,"
news broke that Kim Donghu would be playing Batman in .
aning, if you landed a CF contract with Kim Donghu now, you basically won the jackpot.
It was like the golden fairy from a fantasy RPG.
Catch it, and you win the ga.
"Kim Donghu is like the Dragon Ball! Actually, he’s Shenron! Or the One Ring!"
"Our Donghu is officially world-class."
One appearance on a variety show had lit the whole world on fire.
And while riding that wave — there was one place that dropped a bomb for everyone to see.
That was—
『Kim Donghu confird for Physical 300!』
The Netflix content production team, which had been hiding Kim Donghu’s participation till now.
If the montum’s good, hit it again.
Like the marksman with the magic bullet — the fourth shot would absolutely be a critical hit.
'We’ll drive the stake in properly.'
Netflix was re-checking the fully edited footage of .
In just one month, an actor with overwhelming physical prowess would be unveiled to the public.
Reviews
All reviews (0)