Cast assembled for conspiracy drama Father's War » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

64 April 14, 2012April 14, 2012

Cast assembled for conspiracy drama Father’s War

by javabeans

New-drama alert! SBS is prepping an upcoming Monday-Tuesday series called Father’s War, which has cast Wang Ji-hye in the lead, who’s coming off of the cable drama Bachelor’s Vegetable Store. Is it weird that I’m more excited about the ajusshis, though? The drama has also cast Sohn Hyun-joo, who’s always wonderful in everything (Neighbor Enemies, Sons of Sol Pharmacy) and Kim Sang-joong, who will forever be, in my mind, the City Hunter’s Bad (and Badass) Daddy.

The story deals with a cop (Sohn Hyun-joo) who loses his 15-year-old daughter in a car crash, and then also loses his wife soon afterward from the trauma of their daughter’s death. He believes it was just an unfortunate accident until he discovers that his daughter was the sacrificial lamb in a greater conspiracy, and the ensuing fury spurs him to set out to uncover the truth.

Wang Ji-hye plays a passionate reporter who’s the daughter to the CEO of a large corporation. She helps Sohn Hyun-joo with his mission to ferret out the truth, and in the process uncovers secrets in her own family. Meanwhile, Kim Sang-joong plays the antagonist, which should make for some awesome conflict; this man practically takes antagonism to new levels. Cold is the new hot, yo.

Sohn Hyun-joo, Kim Sang-joong

This sounds more like a film plot than a drama, but that’s part of what grabs my attention. I like the idea of a season-long conspiracy and an angry cop gone rogue; it makes me think of all those solo-man-fights-the-conspiracy movies starring actors like Kim Seung-woo or Kim Myung-min. Please be badass; I’d love another Story of a Man. Good thrillers are so hard to come by; or maybe it’s that for me, thrillers have to be awesome to be enjoyable, whereas I can easily sit through a middling rom-com any day of the week.

I’m not quite sure what to think of the producers, PD Jo Nam-gook and writer Park Kyung-soo, who have done projects like August Bride, City of Glass, Does Anyone Love, and Neighbor Enemies. They’re not exactly taut thriller shows. But I’m interested enough by the story to see whether this team will be able to pull off massive conspiracies and revenge missions.

Father’s War is in the process of securing the rest of its cast, and will begin filming in early May. It replaces Fashion King at the end of next month.

Via Star News

Required fields are marked *

1 Azzy

April 14, 2012 at 1:20 PM

This looks amazing! totally gonna check this out!

Required fields are marked *

2 Mystisith

April 14, 2012 at 1:40 PM

I didn't see a lot of action/thriller drama to be honest, but i've been disappointed with the majority (City Hunter, A man called God). I think the only one that i liked was Fugitive Plan B. I will wait until it's completed and if the buzz is good i will dive for this one.

Required fields are marked *

pabo ceo reom

April 14, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Take JB's advice then. Try Story of a Man. That shiz was awesome and I'm not even a huge fan of thrillers!

Required fields are marked *

Mariamawangja

April 14, 2012 at 1:50 PM

IF u have not seen Story of a Man then u have not seen one of the GREATEST DRAMA EVER. that show had everything and u can't help just giving a standing ovation to that cast. i am looking forward to this because City Hunter dad was the best part of that show. so i cant wait to see him kick some Ass again

Required fields are marked *

Mystisith

April 14, 2012 at 1:58 PM

@ JB, pabo ceo reom & mariam: Thanks for the advice! Will give it a try to widen my horizon.

Required fields are marked *

Biscuit

April 14, 2012 at 2:13 PM

Good action/thriller dramas really are hard to find, which is why I rather watch films when I want my thriller/action dose. More realistic appearing and not afraid to be gritty.

But you could try Vampire Prosecution or Girl/Miss K. Cable channel TVN is probably your place to go.

Required fields are marked *

jomo143

April 14, 2012 at 2:24 PM

I am with you on that Biscuit.
And you get to see actors like: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-Kyun, Ha Jung Woo, Jeon do-yeon, etc. who appear rarely on the small screen.

Time Between Dog and Wolf and
Ten are good suspense drama, too.

Required fields are marked *

Biscuit

April 14, 2012 at 7:02 PM

Ditto.

It's like films are a way for actors to bring out that darker side within them since there's no bounds and limits in comparison to tv.

BTW- Did I really say Vampire PERSECUTION? OMG, seriously bad typo! I meant Persecutor.

Required fields are marked *

Lise

April 15, 2012 at 7:52 PM

God's Quiz 1/2 r pretty cool too...eagerly anticipating season 3!

Required fields are marked *

Mystisith

April 14, 2012 at 2:25 PM

I loved Vampire Prosecutor and Ten, and i'm watching Hero these days (tvN and OCN rock!). I definitely prefer thriller/action/police shows with 10 to 12 episodes. Just the good length for me... I agree about dark movies: Korea is the master when it comes to them.

Required fields are marked *

houstontwin

April 14, 2012 at 4:12 PM

Hero was disappointing but I loved Um Ki Joon as a tortured editor bent on revenge. He was so intense!

Required fields are marked *

Nika

April 14, 2012 at 5:17 PM

i think Mystisith is referring to HERO (with Yang Dong Geun in a lead role) which is airing now at OCN not the one with Lee Jun Ki

Mystisith

April 14, 2012 at 5:28 PM

You think about the Hero with Jun-ki. But the Hero i'm watching now is the one with Yang Dong Geun on OCN. It's like a mix of dark comics (V for Vendetta) and Minority Report (futuristic). Really really different from everything else in dramaland.

A_Donuts

April 14, 2012 at 2:18 PM

I also love Fugitive Plan B. Rain is such a badass. Too bad you didn't like City Hunter though. Lee Min Ho is so hot.

Required fields are marked *

houstontwin

April 14, 2012 at 4:16 PM

I liked City Hunter and Lee Min Ho is lovely to look at. But he still has a lot of growing up to do.

Required fields are marked *

canxi

April 14, 2012 at 2:35 PM

Lol, I loved A Man Called God. I don't know why it was so exciting for me. I didn't know any better, I think, hahaha. I agree on City Hunter though, it was OK.

Required fields are marked *

Nicole

April 14, 2012 at 5:40 PM

I enjoyed A Man Called God, too. haha It wasn't bad, it was campy. But that was the appeal and what made it entertaining for me.

Required fields are marked *

canxi

April 14, 2012 at 6:16 PM

Yeah! It started off so ridiculously epic too hahaha. And his secret base. Ahahaha!

Required fields are marked *

anais

April 14, 2012 at 8:13 PM

Totally! After I got over the shell-shock of Song Il Gook's hair and all that ridiculousness, I began to love the B-movie campiness. In fact, I'm rather fond of A Man Called God. So O.V.E.R. the top. It's what Austin Powers would have been, had Austin Powers taken itself seriously.

Required fields are marked *

john

April 14, 2012 at 3:30 PM

Story of a Man sounds like it's worth checking out.

Required fields are marked *

Daniella

April 14, 2012 at 3:32 PM

IRIS was pretty good too (:

Required fields are marked *

3 Farhana

April 14, 2012 at 1:52 PM

Wow Wang Ji Hye looks so beautiful in that picture!

Looking forwards to watching this this! :)

Required fields are marked *

4 Mama J

April 14, 2012 at 1:53 PM

World's Best Bad Dad?

I am so in!!!

And it's just icing on the cake that I love Ice Cream Girl.

Required fields are marked *

5 nomu nomu nomu

April 14, 2012 at 2:05 PM

I like Wang Ji-hye, She can make me hate her (in-he bot) or make me love her (ice cream girl)

as for the drama 'Fathers War', not enough details yet, so I'll stay tuned for more info on the premise and setup and the rest of the cast

Required fields are marked *

anotheraddict

April 14, 2012 at 2:15 PM

I had a Wang Ji Hye allergy after watching Personal Taste, but Protect the Boss cured me of that (what a lovable second lead she was in that!), and I believe Ms. Koala's assertion that WJH was luminous in Friend, Our Legend. However, after seeing her in Bachelor's Veggie Store, I've come to the conclusion that WJH has a rather limited range as an actress and it doesn't seem like this role is a good fit for her. We shall see.

On the other hand, I love Sohn Hyun Joo, and Kim Sang Joon is one sexy ahjusshi. He's got that debonaire, James Bondish appeal, and totally rocks being the Big Baddie. (Ooh-- that makes me want to see him as the Big Bad Wolf, if you catch my drift.)

One thing's for sure: Father's War can't possibly be worse than Fashion King.

Required fields are marked *

jjangnisa

April 14, 2012 at 7:24 PM

I think on Veggie Store the problem is her character written.

I will bookmark this drama :D

Required fields are marked *

anais

April 14, 2012 at 8:14 PM

Kim Sang Joon as James Bondish - so right on!

Required fields are marked *

myra

April 15, 2012 at 2:02 AM

I agree, she has many limitations. I think rom-com suits her best. She was really cute in PTB (her best and memorable role so far), like she's really made for this type of character.

Required fields are marked *

6 Biscuit

April 14, 2012 at 2:11 PM

Lately it seems like all the news about dramas have been the same that we've heard off for quite a while, so I'm completely excited to hear of a new drama. Yay for thrillers. I was expecting, yunno, a romcom or a drama about a surgeon... or a time-traveler. C'mon variety.

-It's obvious WJH's photo has been photoshopped (see: jaw/neck), but it still makes me want to pack on some face masks and lotions to get my skin as clear.

Required fields are marked *

7 jomo143

April 14, 2012 at 2:17 PM

Agree on the male cast!

Kim Sang-Joong I LOVED from Life is Beautiful and hated (in a good way) in City Hunter.
He's a damn sexy ahjussi when he wants to be. I hope they let him kiss-a-girl, cause I like it when he does that.

Sohn Hyun-joo is so ridiculously talented that he can play smart, stupid, young, old, evil, adorable anywhere anytime. He is always compelling, not one of the "fill in the blank" supporting characters who are in everything, but don't seem to register as being particularly good or bad.

I was not impressed with Wang Ji-hye in Veggie, though I did love her in PtB. She just wasn't as interesting as the lead. Maybe it was the writers' fault.

Required fields are marked *

lovepark

April 14, 2012 at 3:32 PM

I totally agree! Sohn hyun-joo is the bomb! He is so versatile and acts so naturally.

Required fields are marked *

Celest

April 14, 2012 at 9:23 PM

You took pretty much all the words from my mouth Jomo. I never saw Veggie because it just wasn't my type of drama but I think WJH has potential to be a great actress. Loved her in President, PtB and Friend Our Legend.

Your praises about Kim Sang Joong and ESPECIALLY Sohn Hyun Joo are spot on. That latter is an absolute chameleon. He can play pretty much any character, hero or villain, but my personal favorite has too be the cute and bumbling Jin Poong in Sons of Sol Pharmacy.

I dunno if anyone's mentioned this yet, but if you love this genre and haven't watched Time Between Dog and Wolf, WATCH IT. NOW.

Required fields are marked *

8 canxi

April 14, 2012 at 2:39 PM

Hmmmm, does sound like a movie.
I like how the lead is an ahjusshi though. That's a nice change from what I've seen which is young/handsome mostly,lol. I like his motivation too.

Required fields are marked *

9 Schmazel

April 14, 2012 at 2:45 PM

Sounds quite similar to the plot of Resurrection.

Cop gone rouge - check!
Chaebol reporter girl - check!
Conspiracy - check!

Hmm...on second thought, it kinda sounds like a mash of 3 dramas - The Crime Squad of Resurrected Heroes.

I will be checking it our since I liked all of the three aforementioned.

Required fields are marked *

Schmazel

April 14, 2012 at 2:46 PM

*check it out

Required fields are marked *

10 whimsyful

April 14, 2012 at 2:48 PM

Yesss another thriller! With Wang Ji-hye and Kim Sang-Joong! If it's anywhere near the level of awesome Story of a Man was I'm a happy camper.

Required fields are marked *

11 fab

April 14, 2012 at 3:08 PM

Sounds interesting. Mainly because of the genre, it's not another medical or time-travelling drama.

Wang Ji Hye is most beautiful smiling! <3
Too bad Ive only seen her play the raged (rejected=rejected darling) villain.

Required fields are marked *

12 snow

April 14, 2012 at 3:25 PM

can we get kim kang-woo to cameo? XD

Required fields are marked *

13 Daniella

April 14, 2012 at 3:29 PM

Oh snap! I hope this would regain Wang Ji Hye's popularity after the messy soap opera she was in! I love her!
Guessing there' no romance? lol.
If it's on SBS, I trust it will be good!
Looking forward to replacing Fashion King...I mean a new drama!

Required fields are marked *

14 gala

April 14, 2012 at 3:40 PM

speaking of Son Hyun Joo, he had such good chemistry with Oh Man Suk in KBS drama series MSS. How I hope KBS takes that 4-episode and expands it to 16 or 20. it's reminiscent of H.I.T. Son Hyun Joo is so endearing in that. I want to see him end up with Vivian - their team leader.

Required fields are marked *

15 danna

April 14, 2012 at 3:40 PM

Looks like May will be the season for sexy ahjussis what with this drama and Gentleman's dignity

Required fields are marked *

16 cherkell

April 14, 2012 at 3:58 PM

Song Jin Pung ajusshi!! SWOON!!! I've loved SHJ in everything he's ever done, but this sounds like a bit on the light side of awesome because of Wang Ji Hye's casting in another "passionate [insert character-of-the-month here] who’s the daughter to the CEO of a large corporation" role. I was far from impressed with her acting in BVS, so maybe she'll prove me wrong in this new vehicle.

And agreed on "Time Between Dog and Wolf"... I may just have to pull that out and watch it again!

Required fields are marked *

17 topper

April 14, 2012 at 5:15 PM

Thrillers are right up my alley. But the writers have to rise up above and improve a lot from his previous works. Thrillers are the hardest damn thing to write right.

Required fields are marked *

18 Rin

April 14, 2012 at 5:15 PM

Wang Ji Hye is mehh for me in Personal Taste but she is indeed super adorable in Protect The Boss. More adorable than the lead herself i daresay.

ahh Kim Sang-joong,if he's younger i would totally drool over him.Lol

Required fields are marked *

19 ajbny

April 14, 2012 at 5:23 PM

city of glass did have a bit of a weird plot in the beginning- thriller-esque even. Or maybe I was just confused. I like the idea of this show, I really enjoyed neighbour enemies ( why is the english title definitely neighbors?) and I like sohn hyun joo he's really earnest, versatile and boy does he work a lot! Is another story of a man possible? Writer Song, please stop writing high school musicals.

Required fields are marked *

20 Ani

April 14, 2012 at 5:52 PM

Sohn Hyun-joo, YAY!

Required fields are marked *

21 anais

April 14, 2012 at 8:14 PM

I'm just so happy that Sohn Hyun Joo plays lead! After his many, many years in the business. I like him.

Required fields are marked *

22 Arhazivory

April 14, 2012 at 8:22 PM

Kim Sang-joong! :D I've been feeling for thrillers (started watching The Devil) and planning to go to Story of a Man next.

This plot....is right up my alley. :D

Required fields are marked *

23 Thatgirl

April 14, 2012 at 10:13 PM

Wang Jihye? Kim Sang Joong? :D

Am I the only one who can totally see a Lee Minho cameo coming on?
Or am I just too obsessed with him and sees everything with him in it...? Lol

Required fields are marked *

24 b1

April 14, 2012 at 11:45 PM

COLD IS THE NEW HOT ------- definitely agree .. whew!!

Required fields are marked *

25 vrinda

April 15, 2012 at 12:37 AM

im so gonna watch this drama.the plot is kinda interesting and it will better than fashion king.
i hated wang ji hye in personal taste,loved her role in ptb and so so for bvs but i blame it on writers.
i love the badass dad in city hunter, he was awsome, he made me half root for him and half hate him.
hope this drama comes soon and cure me from the sunstroke.lookin foward to it.

Required fields are marked *

26 Noelle

April 15, 2012 at 1:36 AM

This sounds good. I don't usually watch thrillers but this has got my interest piqued.

Required fields are marked *

27 myra

April 15, 2012 at 3:16 AM

I can't believe there were more news about dramas airing later this year and only now we have something about the drama following Fashion king! I mean they haven't even finished casting! They will exhaust the actors and the staff.... again....

Required fields are marked *

28 wenlin

April 15, 2012 at 9:02 AM

didnt really like her in personal taste but this looks promising!

Required fields are marked *

29 novembertwentyeleven

April 15, 2012 at 5:50 PM

The actress looks sappy and weak in the photo.

Can Sohn Hyun-joo and Kim Sang-joong overcome the sappiness?

Required fields are marked *

30 Cam

April 15, 2012 at 7:24 PM

Oooo!! :D I really looove another hottest "Story Of A Man" drama & it sound very quite interesting!! Ah, I watched this actress Wang Ji Hye in that crazy-fun comedy drama Protect the Boss, hehe.

Bravo~Bravooo, girl!!

I will be loooooking forward to this ~ GO SUMMER BREAK GO!!! \^o^/

Required fields are marked *

31 Alexis

April 15, 2012 at 7:29 PM

Whooooo!!!!!

I am looking forward to this ~ so freaking AWESOME! I am BIGGEST fan of thriller/suspense/action & I am really into "dark" movies/dramas, of course. Yups! ;)

Required fields are marked *

32 vbs

April 15, 2012 at 11:54 PM

can´t stand this actress ...

Required fields are marked *

33 belleza

April 16, 2012 at 12:45 AM

Aside from his awesome Psycho Dad turn on City Hunter, Kim Sang-joong's known for Tough Guy roles. He was absolutely hilarious playing a mafia boss/high school student in the movie My Boss My Teacher. In fact, if you have two hours free right now, check out this link . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHZ4lILpKbs

(Also worth watching if you are a Last Scandal fan or want to see Han Hyo Joo's first movie role.)

Required fields are marked *

34 kayana20

April 16, 2012 at 5:25 AM

Lol at all the comments.I think she needs to become more comfortable as the lead.She is not strong enough for lead roles.I already know that the guys will make this drama and hopefully can bring something out of her.Also A Man Called God is so good!

Required fields are marked *

35 me

April 17, 2012 at 10:36 AM

i'm also not too keen on her, she was kinda ok in protect the boss but in BV nahhhh she was stiff! i'm also interested in the ahjussi Sohn hyun joo oh he's just a good actor in happy together drama who's chara had a special need, then in sons of sohl pharmacy! i'm gonna chk this out for sure!

Required fields are marked *

36 Trisha

May 30, 2012 at 11:06 AM

I can't get over Kim Sang Joong. Fall in love with him in Life is Beautiful, then City Hunter. Want to watch this coming drama so much, not sure where can I find the eps of The Chaser with eng sub ?