Lee Joon Gi's 2016 Chinese Film, Never Said Goodbye: 'The Hardest Goodbyes Are The Ones That Never Happen'

 

LEE JOON GI’S

 

2016 

CHINESE

FILM

 

 

NEVER

SAID

GOODBYE

 

 

'THE HARDEST GOODBYES

ARE

THE ONES

THAT

NEVER HAPPEN'

NamooActors, Lee Joon Gi’s management agency, recently dropped a tantalising little teaser. Lee Joon Gi is currently filming an ‘Asian co-production.’ Short, sweet and instantly intriguing. Details are still under wraps but whispers across the region suggest that this is a true-cross-border affair, jointly produced by multiple Asian production companies. Taiwanese media report that a Japanese director, accompanied by his crew, was spotted filming on the streets of Taipei, directing a Taiwanese actress alongside a Japanese actor.   Even more exciting? The project boasts an all-Asian powerhouse cast: South Korea’s multi-international award-winning megastar, Lee Joon Gi, Singapore’s top beloved shining star, Carrie Wong, two-time Taiwanese Golden Bell Best Actress winner, Alice Ko, and popular Japanese actor, Kentaro Sakaguchi.   Naturally, fans are buzzing with questions. How do actors from different countries communicate on set? Are they switching languages? Did Lee Joon Gi secretly level up his Mandarin or Japanese? Perhaps, he did imply doing something like that some time ago.     (Left) Director Lin (Right) photo uploaded by LJG     Fuel was added to the fire when Lee recently uploaded behind-the-scenes Instagram photos from Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. One particular shot catches attention: a man who looked suspiciously like renowned Taiwanese director Lin Yu Hsien, Lee’s collaborator from the 2016 Chinese film, Never Said Goodbye.     If it truly is Lin Yu Hsien, this would mark a thrilling second collaboration between the Taiwanese director and the South Korean multihyphenate. It’s powerful East Asian creative synergy again. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGW8ZjIAocS/?taken-by=actor_jg Adding a fun bit of destiny to the story - in 2016, Lee Joon Gi cheekily asked Director Lin on Instagram to make an action-romance film for him someday. It seems Lin may have finally taken him up on the offer. Lee Joon Gi (Top) 2016 (Bottom) 2026 Director Lin Yu Hsien is no stranger to acclaim. His documentary ‘Jump! Boys’, which followed young gymnasts chasing their dreams, became one of Taiwan’s most beloved documentaries and launched Lin from promising newcomer to national talent. Before film making, Lin even worked as an elementary school gymnastics coach in Yilan.   In 2011, he wrote and directed ‘Jump! Ashin’, earning him a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 48th Golden Horse Awards.   Lin is especially praised for his humorous, fast-paced storytelling and his keen observations of society.   The director once revealed that persuading Lee Joon Gi to star in Never Said Goodbye took serious effort. Lee was always his first and only choice for the romantic lead, describing him as, ‘a boy next door with a unique charm – natural, sincere and down-to-earth.’ Determined to secure him, Lin flew to Korea twice to personally discuss the project. He later joked that he had to ‘trick’ Lee into saying yes. The film ultimately unfolded across Shanghai and southern Italy, and the gamble paid off. Lee Joon Gi sang the song, ‘For a While’, the ending theme song for the movie. The song is from his album, Exhale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktO1YdnHToM&list=RDktO1YdnHToM&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K5l855aCxU&list=RD9K5l855aCxU&start_radio=1     In Never Said Goodbye, Lee plays Jun Ho, a South Korean university student studying in China. At first the film feels almost playfully romantic. Jun Ho charms Xiao Yu (Zhou Dong Yu) with a grand flash-mob dance in the school cafetaria and proves his devotion by devouring an absurd amount of pork knuckles. The story unfolds in two halves – first through Xiao Yu’s perspective, then through Jun Ho’s.         The tone shifts heartbreakingly when Jun Ho learns he has brain cancer and only 6 months to live. Choosing love over selfishness, he stages his own death and quietly shields Xiao Yu from the truth, hoping she’ll survive the pain of losing him. 'The hardest goodbyes are the ones that never happen.'     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQlkf-8Y3M     The film lingers on the ache of unfinished farewells – on people who disappear from our lives before we can say what truly mattered. It’s a story that never quite let go. Lee Joon Gi’s performance is devastatingly beautiful - leaving audiences emotionally wrecked, while the cinematography elevates every moment into something breathtaking. If the mysterious new project really does unite Lee Joon Gi and Director Lin Yu Hsien, fans may have to prepare their hearts – again.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQlkf-8Y3M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSBLPFJM5qw

 

 

Lee Joon Gi in Thrilling Asian Co-Production - A Film Adaptation of Keigo Higashino's Novel, The Name of The Game is Kidnapping

 

LEE JOON GI

 

IN

THRILLING

ASIAN

CO-PRODUCTION

 

A

FILM

ADAPTATION

OF

 

KEIGO HIGASHINO’S

NOVEL

 

THE NAME

OF

THE GAME

IS

KIDNAPPING

After an agonizing long silence about Lee Joon Gi’s filming project, an explosion of casting news has set the internet ablaze. For weeks, fans only knew one tantalizing detail: South Korean Lee Joon Gi was filming alongside Singapore’s Carrie Wong. The production itself seems like a globe-trotting mystery, sweeping from Singapore to South Korea and Japan, and now Taiwan. The curtain has finally lifted. The dazzling reveal confirms a star-studded cast lineup and a movie. On set, Lee Joon Gi was every bit his radiant, magnetic self. Looking relaxed and brimming with energy, he appeared to be practically dancing as he strolled around the filming location. The megastar’s joyful, playful and buoyant presence seems to have lit up the filming location.   https://www.instagram.com/jg_turkiye_family/reel/DUC5rOyjLIo/   https://www.instagram.com/jg_turkiye_family/reel/DUDBVMkjCbG/   According to Next Apple News, a Taiwan-based online media outlet, South Korean heartthrob, Lee Joon Gi is currently filming his new movie alongside Taiwan’s acclaimed actress, Alice Ko and Japanese star, Kentaro Sakaguchi.  (‘Kentaro Sakaguchi came to Taiwan to film his new movie…' ‘Ko Chia-yen also stars in the film.’) ETtoday, Taiwan’s influential news media platform, states, ‘It is understood that the crew was filming a Japanese drama, Kidnapping Game, presumably an adaptation of a novel by Keigo Higashino.’  The media platform confirms that the project being filmed is - a film / a movie (i.e. drama film / drama movie), and not, a television drama series.  ('This magazine learned that the film was originally scheduled to begin in October...') Keigo Higashino’s celebrated novel, The Name of The Game Is Kidnapping, is globally well-known. The story already promises mind games, tension, and razor-sharp twists.   Lee Joon Gi and his Japanese co-star were spotted at multiple filming locations including the arrival hall at Terminal 2 of Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport. Lee looked effortlessly gorgeous.   https://www.instagram.com/ljg1_vered/p/DUD-SVlgtL3/?img_index=2 https://www.instagram.com/ljg1_vered/p/DUD-SVlgtL3/?img_index=3 https://www.instagram.com/ljg1_vered/p/DUD-SVlgtL3/?img_index=9   NamooActors, Lee’s management agency, later confirmed the buzz, stating simply but tantalizingly – ‘He’s filming an Asian co-production.’     At 43, Lee, a globally-acclaimed megastar, is celebrated for his chameleon like versatility across film and television. His illustrious career boasts numerous international acting awards, and accolades from the US, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, cementing his status as a dominant global actor and incomparable force of the Hallyu Wave worldwide.   His Taiwanese co-star, Alice Ko Chia Yen (41) is best known for ‘Marry Me, Or Not’ (2015), and ‘Some Day or One Day (2019-2020)’, for which she clinched the Best Actress award in both 2016 and 2020. Married and accomplished, she brings depth to all her roles. Kentaro Sakaguchi (34), a Japanese actor and model, won the Best New Actor award at the 11th Osaka Cinema Festival in 2016 and has since built a great career for himself. In Japanese, he is referred to as Sakaguchi Kentaro. His surname is Sakaguchi.     That makes Carrie Wong (32), the youngest among the 4 stars but no less powerful. In 2025, she achieved All-Time Favourite Artiste status at Singapore’s Star Awards after winning her tenth Top Most Popular Female Artiste title, firmly establishing herself as one of Mediacorp’s brightest stars. Keigo Higashino The original 2002 Japanese novel, The Name of The Game Is Kidnapping, tells of a razor-sharp battle of wits between two brilliant minds. Sakuma Shunsuke, a charismatic advertising planner, treats both life and work as a game until he was unexpectedly sidelined by a powerful client, Katsuragi Katsutoshi during a major project. Humiliated and seething, he crosses paths with Juri, Katsuragi’s daughter, who harbours her own resentment against her father. Together, they devised a chilling plan – revenge through a carefully orchestrated kidnapping game. As the psychological thriller unfolds, the supposed Gamemaster realises a terrifying truth. He is not in control at all. He is a mere pawn in a far more dangerous and darker game. The story thrives on tension, manipulation and moral ambiguity. The novel’s gripping premise has inspired numerous adaptations across Asia:   1. ‘Game’ – Japanese film (2003) 2. ‘The Name of The Game Is A Kidnapping' – Japanese TV mini-series (2024) 3. ‘Kidnapping Game’ – Chinese TV series (2020) 4. ‘Welcome to The Game’ – Chinese film (2024) 5. ‘Sarabham’ – Indian film (2014)   Unlike the various adaptations which are set in only one country, Lee Joon Gi’s movie would be different since the cast members are international and it is filmed in many countries in Asia - Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.  The story for the new adaptation would probably be revamped to reflect the international cast and settings. With a cast so powerful and a story so explosive, Lee Joon Gi’s latest project is shaping up to be nothing short of a global sensation.   https://news.nextapple.com/entertainment/20260127/604E10C10AF3D8F99B3257753ED1796D   https://star.ettoday.net/news/3108843 https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/213/0001371859