News bites: June 13, 2012

by javabeans

R2B: Return to Base

• Yet another name change for Rain’s last pre-army project, pictured above: The movie formerly titled Red Scarf, then Flight: Near the Sun, is now R2B: Return To Base. It will eventually be called BRB: 2Legit2Quit. It’s also got a newly released poster and an August release date. [Source: E Daily]
• It looks like Joo Ji-hoon will be returning to dramas after all, despite recent controversy. He’ll be playing the lead role in the 50-episode makjang melodrama Five Fingers, from the writer behind makjangtastic A Wife’s Temptation and Temptation of Angels and all their face-swapping, revenge-concocting, hate-spewing characters. Joo will be playing a pianist (aaah, that’s why with the weird finger title—but why not Ten Fingers? Or Temptation of Fingers?) who’s naturally gifted but struggles because he’s underprivileged. Of course. The drama follows A Gentleman’s Dignity and premieres in August on SBS. [Source: Nocut News]
• At a press conference for their new movie The Thieves, Jeon Ji-hyun declared that she was happy to kiss co-star Kim Soo-hyun. And that’s what we call a whole lot of DUH. [Source: Herald M]


‘The Thieves’ co-stars Jeon Ji-hyun & Kim Soo-hyun

• Lee Jun-hyuk (Equator Man, City Hunter) has received his official army assignment, and will be enlisting on June 19. That’s only a week away! Prepare your hankies and “I will wait for Oppa” placards. [Source: My Daily]
• Go Soo will be making a return to dramaland in The Great Seer, aka Dae Poong Soo, starring Ji Jin-hee as the first king of Joseon. Go Soo will play a scholar of divination, the seer who gives Ji Jin-hee the political power to overthrow the Goryeo dynasty. It’ll be his first drama since 2010’s Will It Snow For Christmas. Ah, we’ve missed you and your eloquent eyes. The 36-episode drama plans to air on SBS in October. [Source: Star News]
• Lee Hyun-woo (Equator Man) will be joining the new SM remake of Hana Kimi called To Beautiful You, starring idols Sulli and Minho. In this version they’ll all be soccer players, with the heroine cross-dressing to be on the all-boys soccer team. This is sounding a lot like that Amanda Bynes movie She’s The Man. Also, does this mean the sports drama is making a comeback? [Source: Sports World]


Lee Hyun-woo

• Upcoming weekend drama May Queen starring Han Ji-hye has cast Jae Hee (Color of Woman) as its hero. Yay, and yet, not yay. The drama is a success story of a woman in the shipbuilding industry during Korea’s modernization, which is a terribly boring description but could, for all we know, be the next Giant (story set amid Korea’s rapid construction and modernization boom of the ’70s) or Great Merchant Man-deok (success story of a female merchant). Promo writers, where’s your punch? Kim Yoo-jung (The Moon That Embraces the Sun) has has also joined the cast as Han Ji-hye’s child counterpart. The 32-episode drama follows Dr. Jin and premieres in August on MBC. [Source: Herald Biz, Star News]
• New movie 26 years casts Han Hye-jin (Thorn Birds), Jin Gu (Moby Dick), and idol singer Im Seul-ong (Personal Taste) in a story about the 1980 Gwangju Massacre, investigated 26 years after the fact. The film is based on a popular webtoon of the same name, and will be PD Jo Geun-hyun’s first foray into directing, after having been an art director on numerous films from L’Abri to My Way. [Source: Sports Seoul]
• Kang Ji-hwan has a new movie with his Hong Gil Dong co-star Sung Yuri, a Miss-Congeniality-Meets-Zoolander comedy titled Detective Cha, pictured below. The movie’s holding a special fan-signing event this weekend with its “Flower Boy Foursome” (dude, it’s a whole thing!). But I only count three pretty boys… OH WAIT. [Source: Sports Chosun]

Detective Cha