Former Wanna One Member Lai Kuan Lin has officially embarked on a new career path as a director, marking a significant transformation from K-Pop IDOL to the director.
The production company Wanhetian announced on June 23 that Lai Kuan Lin joined their team as the first post-200 director.
The 23-year-old Taiwanese artist is currently working on a short film entitled “Space-Time Partners”, where he is an executive director. The production staff praised his practice approachObserving that it actively coordinates the times for the extras and provides him with the acting direction. His dedication and passion behind the camera impressed the entire production team.
This new direction in his career represents a continuation of the exploration of Lai Kuan Lin in cinema rather than a complete departure from his previous work.
He started the first time in 2021 with the short film “Em chu nie zi bo” (also known as “Winter & Spring is fighting”), who obtained significant recognition. The film won five prizes at Roma Prisma Independent Film Festival in June 2021, including the best director, the best film, the best actress, the best cinematography and the best design of the costumes.
The journey of Lai Kuan Lin at this point has been marked by significant career transitions. He obtained initial fame after finishing seventh place in “produces 101 season 2” of MNET in 2017 with 905,875 votes, make sure His position in the Project Wanna One group. The group debuted in August 2017 and officially dissolved on December 31, 2018, according to the duration of the predetermined contract.
Following the dissolution of Wan One, Lai Kuan Lin faced legal challenges with the fun of the cube. He started a cause against the agency in 2019, claiming to have transferred his management rights to a third -party Chinese agency without adequate consent. After multiple judicial proceedings, the central district court of Soul decided in his favor in June 2021, declaring his exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment invalid.
The transition from his entertainment career became official in June 2024 when Lai Kuan Lin announced his retirement from the sector through social media.
Wanhetian expressed confidence in the potential of Lai Kuan Lin, stating that “both our company and Lai Kuan Lin have agreed that, before issuing more than its films, it should build experience on a variety of sets and continue to learn to become a stronger director”. They also requested privacy for the production process, asking fans to avoid disturbing sprouts or attracting excessive online attention to him during filming.
Reports suggest that Lai Kuan Lin had previously applied to the Beijing Film Academy, one of the most prestigious Chinese cinema schools, further demonstrating his serious commitment in the development of his profession as director. His recognition to international film festivals and his current role of professional direction indicate that his change of career represents more than a simple departure from entertainment: it marks the beginning of what could be a promising future in cinema.
The production company stressed that the creative instincts of Lai Kuan Lin and the true passion for cinema were evident during the production process, suggesting that its transition from artist to the director could prove to be a natural evolution of his artistic interests.
