Su Ae and Jo Seung-woo’s new epic historical romance has a new trailer and posters out; the film, whose Korean title translates to Like Fireworks, Like a Butterfly [불꽃처럼 나비처럼], also goes by the English title Sword With No Name.

Based on the trailer, it looks like the movie will be as much action as it is romantic melodrama. Jo Seung-woo plays the warrior with whom Su Ae falls in love before she is named Empress Myeongseong, and becomes her bodyguard afterward.

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The movie Like Fireworks, Like a Butterfly [불꽃처럼 나비처럼] has settled on a premiere date, even though one of its stars, Jo Seung-woo, will still be serving his military service when it releases for the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday.

The film is set in the late Joseon era and follows the political affairs of Empress Myeongseong — a figure often portrayed in film — as she seeks to protect her country. She is described as “the woman everybody knows about, but nobody really knew.” The film focuses on how prior to becoming empress she was Min Ja-young, a woman who loved one man, a soldier/bodyguard — their love is “hot like fireworks, and pure like a butterfly.”

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Actor Jo Seung-woo (Go Go 70, Tazza) really wanted to make his army enlistment “quietly” (his words) — so he headed off to training camp on the 15th without a big send-off. We did get, however, article after article telling us just how very “quietly” he went.

(As a celebrity, the public is inevitably going to find out at some point, but if he really wanted to go quietly, he could have announced it after the fact, like Yang Dong-geun did earlier this year, rather than announce for weeks, repeatedly, that he was enlisting soon. Because in my book, weeks of “I’m enlisting soon! I won’t tell you when because I want it to be quiet, but I’m going! Soon! Army! Me!” doesn’t constitute “quiet.” But yes, I’m sure it’s his management’s fault more than his.)

Jo’s last project was the film Like Fireworks, Like a Butterfly, a movie with Su Ae (You’re Far Away) and directed by Kim Yong-kyun (Boys of Tomorrow), which just finished filming last month. The project just completed poster shoots and is in post-production, and planning for a 2009 release.

Following four weeks of training, Jo will enter active duty; his discharge is scheduled for October 23, 2010.

Via No Cut News, Newsen

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Next up for military enlistment: 28-year-old Jo Seung-woo (Tazza, Go Go 70).

He’ll go sometime next month, although a rep from his management company says that because he hasn’t received the official paperwork yet, Jo isn’t certain of the exact date.

Jo had just finished filming his last film this month, Like Fireworks, Like a Butterfly, and is now working to get all his post-production, poster-shooting, and other promo activities done before his enlistment. His film prior to that was the ’70s rock-themed Go Go 70 with Shin Mina, which opened on October 2.

(Phew, a whole lotta guys have gone off this year: Jo Seung-woo will be joining the ranks of the recently enlisted Jae Hee, Jo Hyun-jae, Ryu Soo-young, Yang Dong-geun, Kim Dong-wan, Eric…)

Via Star News

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(Does anyone else hear the words “Go go” and find yourself immediately tempted to singsong out, “…Power Rangers!”?)

The three leads of the disco-era movie Go Go 70 (Jo Seung-woo, Shin Mina, and Cha Seung-woo) came out to promote their new film on September 19.

In the film, Jo Seung-woo apparently performed all songs himself — he plays a rocker fronting a band — and found his numerous stage experiences in musicals helpful: “It wasn’t very difficult filming the performance scenes. I wasn’t required to follow the camera. We filmed as though they were real concerts,” with multiple cameras fixed in various spots to capture the unfolding events: “All I had to do was enjoy myself.”

Shin Mina, on the other hand, had this to say about her dance- and singing-heavy role (for which she trained for three months leading up to shooting): “It was a difficult process from the start. … I felt pressure working with Jo Seung-woo, too.” Having never danced in any of her prior roles before, she felt shy at the outset, but found her groove (we hope) as filming progressed.

The movie opens October 2.

More cast press conference photos >>

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