Can I please head-desk myself right now? Thank you, I'll excuse myself now.

Kim Hyunjoong can NOT act. At all. And you're right, JB, at least TOP looked like a spy. The eyes and everything, you put the clothes on him, and he looks dangerous. But Kim Hyunjoong, REALLY?! REALLY!?!?

They need to stop playing with me. It is already enough that Lee Jia is in it, now they want me to completely drop the show with Hyun Joong. I hope that he says no no like he did to kimi wa petto, the korean movie version.

AHAHAHAH.

"Yet it’s like they saw all the complaints about TOP’s acting deficiencies and decided they wanted to outdo themselves for the spinoff."...oh javabeans, why so clever?

I like HJ alot as an entertainer. In fact, I totally acted the part of crazy fangirl when he was here but anytime I see the word "acting" and his name in a sentence, I looly. I only managed to sit through one ep. of BOF (back when my lurpe for this boy was strong) and decided that if I continue to like the dude, I need to stop watching the thing.

Seriously DSP, please let HJ back into Double S. Just let the boy doing what he does best which is to look pretty while singing pop songs. That or you know let him be funny on a variety show.

I would love to see him again in a romcom..but not expecting an action one. The way he carries himself on BBF, it would be hilarious to imagine him being a spy. Not that I don't like him...I was rooting for his character on BBF . But if he will be on Athena..probably I would see it out of curiosity...:)) Thanks Javabeans for this article...

I am delurking just for this. Seriously?! I like man pretty as much as the next, but when it comes to gripping drama I want mind candy not just eye candy. In a world that has been reduced to acronyms I find I can only say SMH (shakes my head).

Kim Hyun Joong CANNOT ACT AT ALL! major fail.

Guys, give him a chance to prove himself that he can indeed act serious roles too? I have faith in him.

FACEPALM.

I do not want to relive his stumbly stiff BBF disaster. Especially not in a drama that's supposed to feature spies. SPIES!! Anyway, JB I rather enjoy your hate in this case.

IS HE BRIBING THEM? Who are they kidding??????? This has got to be the worst pick of the year.... makes me completely not want to watch this :/

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

If they do cast him, maybe he'll be killed off early on and we'll all be spared the horrible acting.

Bring on the hate KHJ fans, I got a wheel barrow full of pebbles to throw back at you.

As cute as this boy is, HE CANNOT ACT. PERIOD!

OK kim Hyun Joong is absolutely adorable and great variety show material, but i'll go as far as to say that it's so uncomfortable to watch him act or emote!
i guess we should give him a chance cause the only way he's gonna get better is to practice, but can't he do so in a less hyped, spy drama like this one? please pretty please.....

I wonder why his agency keeps pressing him to act. I have to agree with you jb, it doesn't really seem like he wants to act and is more focused on his musical career. Is it to boost the popularity of his group? An understandable tactic, but only if KHJ wasn't so heavily criticized. However, I really don't think it will go through because of some contract problems KHJ is having with his agency right now, so we (hopefully) won't be seeing him in Athena.

Maybe he got cast as the quick thinking computer hacker who works for the agency and can magically find things out for our beleaguered world saving hero.

If he has been cast, given by the size of TOP's part in the drama, we wont have to suffer too much.

but still FACEPALM

@ Jasmin

Please take me with. I also have many wheelbarrows of stones to throw at people who are somehow convinced that Kim Hyunjoong can "act" - like, seriously, people, I don't think KHJ is THAT pretty enough to blind you to his blatant inability to, well, emote.

I was so glad when he decided to not do the movie version of Kimi wa Petto. And then got my comment like thumbs-downed billions of times on Allkpop thanks to little fangirls. Yes, I am bitter about this.

He didn't even want to do BOF did he? Why does his agency keep making him and the viewers suffer? I'm watching BOF now, and he is terrible! Just terrible. He is gorgeous, and I loved him on We Got Married, but it's like when they turn the cameras on he loses his personality. There are rumors going around that he might leave his agency, and if this is their idea for his career advancement, maybe he should jump ship.

When I first read that Jung Woo-sung and Cha Seung-won was the lead, I was like YES, im definitely going to watch it, hoping for a good female lead. Then it was announced that Su Ae is going to be the female lead, i was like ok because i dont know who she is >O< i can live with her but hoping for a nicer female lead, Ha Ji Won. haha i wish. Anyway, then i found out Lee Jia is going to be in it, I WAS OMG NOOOOOOO, that totally ruins it, im sorry to any fans, i dont like her at all, sigh/ now, Kim Hyun-joong.........he cant act, BBF was bad, although i love him as a singer, he is hot. please producer,,,,,,,,stop making the drama go downhill!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, I have lost all hope for this drama. One announcement and there goes what was left (*coughs* Lee Jia) Athena cred. Its not that I think that he would be totally horrible but I just don't think acting is for him and I don't think that its something that he's excited about AT ALL! I'm not a huge fan but from what I've seen of him, his attitude in taking BOF was like "Oh really? Mmmk"
Towards the end he was hot so I forgot I hated his acting, therefore I'm sure it won't be a stretch to think that the same will happen with this project. Unfortunately, Lee Jia doesn't do anything for me at all, making it really hard to "want" to see this one.

Sorry Athena. Or should I say "You win! I won't watch!"

I have to agree with you 100%. I cringed at his acting in BOF even though I loved him in We Got Married so this news is terrible. They should at least cast him into an eccentric role in a comedy or something that actually matches his real life persona as I'm not sure he can really act.. =.=

I agree with you on KHJ here. When I heard the news, I had the same reaction. Like many people said, I enjoyed him as entertainer. Still think that he has a lot to improve when it comes to being a good actor.

No offense, but Kim Hyunjoong is a HORRIBLE actor. I can't believe he won Best Actor award for BOF when Lee Minho didn't. @_@

I have hope for him- not that he will ever be a respected, good actor, but that he won't be AS bad as we expect.
To his credit, his acting did improve throughout BOF- big difference between the first gee and last few episodes. Perhaps in all of the down time he's had he's continued on development.
Also, working alongside such veteran cyors, I'm sure he'll learn from then.
He learned so much from his costars of BOF. I mean I'm sure he'd taken actin lessons for years and years as trainee, but he really improved while working eih real actors, through experience. And Athenas actors are much better than BOFs.
I expect that he won't be as bad as u expect javabeans, if he gets the role.

uh oh,
i don't think he should. i like KHJ, but i feel like he's just trying too hard. and i agree with you that he doesn't even seem that he wants to pursue acting.
i just think the whole idea of these ''iris copycats'' is just destroying its orginality. plus, i agree that TOP looked the part, i just don't see it with KHJ.

Officially steering myself away from Athena. What's the point if this one drama is ONLY after big names?
I could have considered twice if Ha Ji Won had been confirmed. whatever.
Bye, Athena. You're sooo not worth my time.

oh, so i'm not the only one who didn't like his acting in BOF :D

Joo Woo Sung will pull in the older female fans

I'm guessing Kim Hyun-joong was thrown into the mix for his ability to attract tweens and fangirls. Have you heard his fangirls scream?

Cha Seungwon will probably reel in the older crowd too.

So, it's a commercial decision ; )

just thinking he would be acting with Cha Seung-won, Su Ae and Jung Woo-sung these professional actors together, this is definitely making himself a joke again.

Random but I really wish Rain took this part instead of the one with the Chuno team

I'm trying to think now ..
how on earth did he get this role??

These are just my thoughts:
1. He's got a huge fanbase (me included :3)
2. He's a pretty boy
3. Bae yong joon lookalike

He looks like bae yong joon, but he definitely does not have his talent (in terms of acting)

@ Jasmin looool I'm a huge fan of his, but... LOL xD

lol. Hey, you never know. Maybe he's taken a few hundred acting lessons since BOF and is much better now.

choi si won would be a much much better choice

hyun joong in athena? i almost lost hope after they announced lee jia, and now hyun joong? seriously? I cringe so much in BOF, it almost even out my love for hyun joong. I love him in we got married but he can not act. at all. I am a fan but I'm not blind. Might as well they cast me, since I 'acted' in my school play =) jk jk jk

I cringed when I saw the headline, and I cringed when I read the article. And I nodded with everything you said, Javabeans.

people are jumping to conclusion too soon. just because KHJ is a singer like TOP, ppl are assuming he will take on a role like TOP's role in IRIS. What if he'll be taking on a different role from TOP's?

I am not a fan of KHJ or TOP or anyone involved with IRIS or ATHENA (I didn't watch IRIS, don't plan to watch ATHENA), but I think it is downright irresponsible to form opinions based on incomplete information.

EFFFFFFF IT!

I'm out.

Ok overreaction (or is it?), but I'm not a fan of Kim Hyun-joong. I'm still scarred from Boys Before Flowers.

You know I love him in all the variety shows because of his personality but he threw me off in BOF. Gosh, the boy cannot act. HOWEVER, in the newest acting gig of his which is Gummy's newest video, he was decent!! His acting has improved so much compare to BOF. I hope he can continue to improve.

Oh my lord...here comes crazy eyes, stiff lip, robotic line delivery...sounds like I'm describing a machine more than a human engaged in some activity needing some form of expression of emotion. Ha!

As pretty as the guy looks I really don't think he could act to save his life.

There are bad actors than there are even bad-der actors & Kim Hyun-joong belongs to the latter category & it's not even a compliment. The least he could do is take some small time role & sharpen his (non-existant) skill but no. HELL the guy had to CONSIDER not one BUT TWO roles. of which 1 he already butchered...

Man! stick to your day, job, strum your god damn guitar, earn lots of money & have lots of people love you....why do this to tortue yourself & torture others?!?!

even the action drama has no words for him, this guy suck at it. i jst remembered the first scene on Oh! My lady, where the PD was pissed off on siwon's character and was planning on masking the actor.i dont think that even with masking, it will solve any. so good luck for the director. if you want to use an idol, use the beastly ones. at least if they suck at it, they can rip their shirts. haha...

Gosh he totally messed up my Hanazawa Rui..............

oh come on. first, they add that Lee Jia, and now this Kim Hyun-joong?? please. (rolls eyes)

What terrible casting strategy this is. With each new cast of late, my interest is dwindling. Sorry, I can only see Lee Jia and KHJ as props.

*Waves* Sarah :)
Awwww give my darlin' a break will ya - *prays hard* that KHJ shi's acting has improved by tenfold... regardless can act or cannot - I'm so watching Athena! I'm totally biased and totally thrilled on the knowledge that he might be in any drama. I hope he gets a dark role, not a happy smiley CF looking one LOL he looks great in the dark unsmiling, mysterious persona... AJA AJA Hyun Joong shi, may you prove your critics and viewers wrong! ... I truly truly hope so! *chuckles* I have to give it to the guy - he is brave! He knows the critics would be out to massacre him and he is might be going for it - it cannot be for the money.. he is the CF King and money is something he has plenty already :) And I am not a teengirl nor a young young fan girl - hey, KHJ shi is well loved by the older age group people too, loads of us around... maybe not for his acting pwhahahah *slaps self* (opps my korean pal hates it when I call myself an ajummah, she says it is actually a crude word for calling an older lady..and not just meaning "auntie") but we love him all the same! Looks like the majority of the commentors would not like to see KHJ in this drama or any drama..and so those who love him are now keeping silent ne, awwww ladies... who love KHJ, of all ages, I KNOW you are out there or else... how did our darlin' become a CF King hmmm? Does god take emails or smses too?, my KHJ needs alot of help in the acting arena that he can get! LOLLLLL *prays like mad*

he's only a pretty boy in my opinion...he didn't win me over in Boys Over Flowers either as a pretty boy....I don't know...I love Top, but I didn't even watch Iris, so I'm definitely not watch this one for sure! I mean, Min Ho prove us that he can act for sure in Personal Taste, but still, I don't think Hyun Joong can pull off this spy image....GRUH! Whatever the director is trying to do....he's only trying to pull in ratings....

URGH!

I thought the bad casting for Athena was over with Lee Jia and now THIS??
I sincerely hope that his SS501 activities will prevent this from happening.