After years of ruling television screens, Lee Min Ho is making a long-anticipated return to cinema with Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, a project that holds both personal significance and immense public expectation. This marks his first major movie role since the 2016 action-comedy Bounty Hunters, and the actor’s decision to finally return to film wasn’t made lightly. In a recent interview, Lee opened up about his decade-long absence from the big screen and the emotional weight behind that choice.
Despite being a global star with a consistent stream of drama hits like Pachinko, Lee Min Ho admitted he had intentionally distanced himself from movies. He explained that his younger self recognized the emotional gravity demanded by films — stories that often delve into more layered, weighty narratives. It wasn’t a question of opportunities, but of timing and emotional readiness. He revealed that he had always been drawn to films that carry depth, but he wanted to approach that territory only when he felt prepared to honor it. There was also the element of pressure. Compared to dramas, movies come with the cold clarity of box office numbers. “Movies have a clear metric for success — ticket sales,” he said. “So it feels like I’m waiting to be judged.”
Choosing Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy as his comeback vehicle wasn’t a random decision, but a deliberate one based on the story’s thematic resonance and scale. Based on a massively popular webnovel and webtoon, the story explores the collapse of the modern world and the fight to reclaim it through unity, survival, and sacrifice. What captivated Lee was its depiction of modern society — a fractured world forced to come together under dire circumstances. For him, it wasn’t just another fantasy film; it was a project with real emotional substance that mirrored collective struggles in today’s disconnected world.
In the film, Lee Min Ho takes on the role of Yoo Joong Hyuk, the enigmatic protagonist of the novel-within-the-story. Joong Hyuk is seen as the ultimate hero — strong, strategic, and unyielding. But instead of simply playing into his stoic exterior, Lee aimed to bring out the emotional undertones that often go unnoticed. He viewed Joong Hyuk not just as a cool, controlled figure, but as a man bearing immense desperation — someone who’s fought through countless timelines to prevent the world’s end. That psychological burden, he believed, was the true essence of the character. “The more desperation we showed, the more believable it would be,” he explained.
His approach reflects a deeper maturity, one that seems to validate why he waited so long to return to film. Lee Min Ho appears fully aware of the expectations riding on both him and the character he’s portraying, but he doesn’t intend to simply meet the audience’s desire for spectacle or heroics. He’s aiming for something more honest — an emotionally layered performance that humanizes the archetype of the untouchable hero.
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy centers around Kim Dok Ja (played by Ahn Hyo Seop), an average office worker who finds himself transported into the world of his favorite webnovel. With knowledge of how the story unfolds, he becomes the world’s last hope for survival. Lee Min Ho’s Yoo Joong Hyuk, the original hero of the novel, must reluctantly work with Dok Ja to stop the apocalypse, despite their ideological differences. Together, they represent two sides of survival: experience hardened by trauma and ordinary conviction grounded in compassion.
The film is set for theatrical release on July 23, 2025, and the anticipation surrounding Lee Min Ho’s return only amplifies its profile. His fans and the industry alike will be watching closely — not just to see if the film delivers, but to witness the transformation of an actor who chose patience, perspective, and purpose over rapid career progression.