‘Omniscient Reader: The Prophet’ Author Reflects on Film Adaptation Journey
Jul 24, 2025
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An omniscient reader's perspective', a film version of the web novel of the couple's author Tim Sing-Shong, is a work about the world in the novel becoming a reality on the day the novel that has been serialized for more than a decade is completed, and the only reader struggles to survive in a world that has collapsed with the protagonist of the novel and colleagues. Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin, Shin Seung-ho, Nana, and Ji-soo appeared, and director Kim Byung-woo of 'The Terror Live'PMC: The Bunker' took the megaphone.(Hereinafter, writer Xing-hsiung's question and answer)
▶ What is the decisive reason for agreeing to visualization?
"When I first heard the movie proposal, I was puzzled. At that time, I was a rookie, and in fact, I never imagined that a movie proposal, not a drama or an animation, would come in. I was reluctant at first because there was a big risk in making the original live-action, but when I heard who the director was in charge of, I agreed to the contract without hesitation. I enjoyed director Kim Byung-woo's 'The Terror Live'
▶ How did you feel about seeing the result of the video of the creators such as goblin and fish dragon in the novel?
"In fact, the creators in the movie are somewhat different from what I imagined. I think there must have been many points of concern in the process of becoming a live-action. If the original creators were close to the emotions of 'horror', the creators of the film are close to the emotions of 'mystery'. I think the creators have become an appearance that can appeal to more age groups."
▶ Is there a scene that you particularly liked?
"It's hard to pick a particularly good scene because the actors' passionate performance was very noticeable, but I personally like the first scene. In the crowd, Kim Dokja is walking toward the audience, but at first, there are so many people that it is not noticeable. 'Who is Kim Dokja?It's interesting that the movie starts with the question "
▶ What is the most impressive character that the characters in the original were implemented on a real screen?
"Personally, the Lee Gil-young character expressed in the movie was quite unusual. The personality is expressed slightly differently from the original, but I thought there might be a cute Lee Gil-young in other world lines. In fact, I encountered Kwon Eun-sung, who played Lee Gil-young, in the bathroom, but the actor probably didn't know who I was. For a moment, I felt like a Holy See."
▶ Web novels have become mega-IPs loved by so many people that they can be made into webtoons and movies again. Why do you think people like the work so much?
"It's an idea that I still often think about now, but I think we've been lucky. At some point, a demand for a story happened by chance, and we just happened to write it, and very lucky people read it together. Because there were fans who loved the story, there is now 'Omniscient Reader's View'. It's a debt of a lifetime and I'm always grateful."
▶ Was there a message you wanted to convey in the work, and do you think it was well implemented in the movie?
"The original work and the movie's message have different trajectories. If anything, the original story is about 'story' or 'reading' itself, and there were some difficult points when it was made into a movie because it actively utilizes points that can only be implemented in text. I think they probably considered that at the time of production. So the movie seems to have focused on messages that can be delivered within two hours instead of the topics covered in the original web novel. I think the visualization was a meaningful attempt as much as it was a reinterpretation of the original."
▶ What do you want to say to readers who have been enthusiastic about and read web novels, and to audiences who will be exposed to the movie Omniscient Reader's View?
"Only once, I visited the scene where the movie was being filmed. In a large set, numerous staff members were struggling to produce a single scene. The cameras turned, and the actors acted and acted in the same scene. Repeat, repeat, repeat the same scene. Then I suddenly realized. The acting that looked like the same scene was actually all different scenes. It's as if Yoo Joong-hyuk's life, which repeated the regression, was actually all 'other life'. Looking at the actors repeating the scenario to reach an end, and the staff who worked so hard to engage in the story that no one was sure of what 'Totally Complete', I thought about Yoo Joong-hyuk, who repeats the never-ending regression, and Kim Dok-ja, who watched the story."
As is the case with most creators, we, as original creators, are also disappointed in the elements of the film that are different from the original. However, when I think about it, I think of the set we saw that day again. Some stories are difficult to evaluate regardless of their completed form, and I think this movie was also meant to me. Just as Kim is rooting for Yoo Joong-hyuk in Extinction, I am rooting for this movie with a similar heart. I think this film will be remembered as a unique and new cinematic experience for readers who have read the original book in advance, and for audiences who are new to this world view, the experience of re-reading 'Omniscient Reader's View' with a different perspective. Please give us a lot of support."
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
