[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] “The Inside Men,” which holds the record for the highest-grossing R-rated film, is returning with a prequel 11 years later. While Song Kang-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Soo Ae were previously in talks to star but ultimately dropped out, the main cast has been revamped to include Ha Jung-woo, Ahn Bo-hyun, Park Hae-jun, and Jung Sung-il.

Production company Hive Media Corp. announced on the 20th that Ha Jung-woo, Ahn Bo-hyun, Park Hae-joon, and Jung Sung-il will star in the film *The Insiders: The Birth of Villains* (working title).
Set in the late 1980s, “The Insiders: The Birth of Villains” explores the origins of a massive cartel entangling the media, capital, and political power. As the official prequel to “The Insiders”—which opened in 2015 and drew over 9 million viewers, including the extended edition—the film rewinds the timeline by about 30 years to explore how the main characters came to stand at the center of power.
The most notable change is in the cast. Initially, Song Kang-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Soo Ae were in talks to appear in the film but dropped out during production. The cast was subsequently reorganized, with Ha Jung-woo taking on the role of Lee Kang-hee, Ahn Bo-hyun as Ahn Sang-gu, Park Hae-joon as Jang Pil-woo, and Jung Sung-il as Oh Hyun-soo.
Ha Jung-woo will portray the younger version of Lee Kang-hee, the editorial director played by Baek Yoon-sik in the original film. During this period, Lee Kang-hee is a reporter who, while attempting to expose corporate corruption, is forced into a marginal position due to external pressure. The prequel is expected to center on the transformation of this tenacious reporter into a figure who later wields influence over the political and business worlds.
Ahn Sang-gu, a role in which Lee Byung-hun left a powerful impression, will be portrayed by Ahn Bo-hyun. He depicts the young Ahn Sang-gu—still the CEO of an entertainment agency before becoming a political thug—as he fights his way up from the bottom in pursuit of success and revenge. The story will also explore how the long-standing relationship between him and Lee Kang-hee began, as they both collaborate and clash.
Park Hae-joon plays Jang Pil-woo, a first-term lawmaker who transformed from a prosecutor into a politician—a role previously portrayed by Lee Kyung-young. He embodies the ambition of a politician who strikes deals with major media outlets to move toward the center of power. Jung Sung-il joins the cast as Oh Hyun-soo, chairman of Mirae Group, who uses his capital to form one pillar of the cartel.
This series goes beyond simply revealing the backstories of popular characters; it focuses on tracing back how the power structure—already established in *The Insiders*—was formed. By placing journalist Lee Kang-hee, Ahn Sang-gu, politician Jang Pil-woo, and chaebol Oh Hyun-soo at the forefront, the series aims to unravel the process by which the media, politics, and capital become intertwined through their mutual interests.
Directors Kim Min-beom and Kim Jin-seok will co-direct the series. Director Kim Min-beom previously served as an assistant director on *Seoul in Spring* and other projects, while Director Kim Jin-seok worked as an assistant director on *Harbin*, *The Man Standing Next*, and *Veteran* before contributing to the screenplay adaptation of the Disney+ series *Made in Korea*.
Production is handled by Hive Media Corp., the studio behind “The Inside Men,” “Seoul Spring,” “The Man Standing Next,” and “Harbin,” with SLL serving as co-producer. “The Inside Men: The Birth of Villains” is currently in pre-production, aiming to begin filming this year.