Kim Nam-gil in talks to headline potential Homeland drama remake

56 February 21, 2014February 20, 2014

Kim Nam-gil in talks to headline potential Homeland drama remake

by girlfriday

We might be seeing an Israeli-to-Korean (by way of Hollywood) drama adaptation in the near future. Kim Nam-gil’s agency Star J Entertainment has acquired the rights to the acclaimed Israeli series Prisoners of War, the show which was the basis for Showtime’s Emmy-award-winning Homeland, starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

Kim is in talks to star in the Korean drama adaptation, which would rework the story into more familiar North-South conflicts and focus on a soldier caught between the two nations as a suspected double agent. His reps were careful to say that they’ve only bought the rights, and the casting is hardly set in stone since they have yet to secure a production house, director, or writer.

The original Israeli series Hatufim was created in 2010 by Gideon Raff, and is currently planning for its third season. It tells the story of soldiers who were prisoners of war while on a secret mission in Lebanon, and their troubled reintegration to home life and home country. Their families have moved on believing they were dead, and their political allegiance is thrown into question.

The Showtime adaptation Homeland (currently gearing up for its fourth season) stars Claire Danes as a CIA operative who believes that Damian Lewis, once held captive by al-Qaeda, is a double agent and a security risk. The second season of Prisoners of War was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2013 Seoul International Drama Awards, so anticipation is high for the Korean remake.

Via Enews 24, Osen

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Tags: Kim Nam-gil, remakes

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1 TS

February 21, 2014 at 11:08 AM

Does he die?

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Daphnee Nazon

February 21, 2014 at 11:28 AM

that was literally what I said at the screen and the burst out laughing when I read this comment LMAO!

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TS

February 21, 2014 at 11:50 AM

@Daphnee Nazon & @Nancy

I am a huge fan, actually, but seriously, KNG makes me nervous now.

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canxi

February 21, 2014 at 3:13 PM

More like writers make me nervous @___@;

I dunno why they want to off him so badly!

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Nancy

February 21, 2014 at 11:48 AM

LOL, it's a legit question and concern with anything KNG is in now.

Nonetheless I'm looking forward to this because Homeland is great and hope this remake transpires into something wonderful too.

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MH

February 21, 2014 at 12:38 PM

In the Israeli version he doesn't die so m it can go either way...

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TS

February 21, 2014 at 6:06 PM

But it's Kim Nam Gil in this version. And he has a track record.

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Haffy

February 21, 2014 at 4:58 PM

Hahahaha Priceless...

p.s to Kim Nam Gil.. Abort the mission if you are gonna die at the end of it cause we need you well and alive to stay sane!!!!!

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dramapotatoe

February 21, 2014 at 11:21 PM

The burning question on everyone's minds. LOL.

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daktari34

February 22, 2014 at 3:15 AM

LOL! Well if he is playing the Korean version of Brody he probably will :)

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pogo

February 22, 2014 at 10:24 AM

lol you sly thing you.......

but if the question is serious, well, he's Kim Nam-gil and the show is based on Homeland, that should answer the question.

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mo0mi

February 22, 2014 at 11:26 AM

well, they will probably change the plot a lot like homeland did to the original..
[SPOILER DELETED]

anyways i'm israeli, so that news made me so happy and proud!! all the way to korea!

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2 j18

February 21, 2014 at 11:17 AM

Love the Homeland series so I'm looking forward to this.

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Adal

February 21, 2014 at 11:49 AM

Either way it goes... I hope it's not as boring as "Shark" was. Maybe he can show some more life to his character.

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3 Miky

February 21, 2014 at 11:51 AM

My question like the others will he die as well in here?when i here his name and that he heads a drama/movie i know by now that he will die..does he have in his contracts that his charcaters all must die or what?does he want to experience all kind of deaths or is something more subliminal? hmmmmmmm,nevertless he will be the kings of death for sure!

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4 Chrissy

February 21, 2014 at 12:30 PM

Mmm yeah with him, i am set on thinking his character will always die which kills my enjoyment of any drama he's in. I am still fuming over Shark. Sorry, dude.

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5 tiacait

February 21, 2014 at 12:30 PM

So excited about another remake of this series! And I think Kim Nam-gil would make an awesome Brody. But I'm more curious about who could play Carrie's part. Ha Ji-won would be perfect for this!

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6 DraLuver

February 21, 2014 at 12:46 PM

Homeland is one of those adaptation that i always thought would make a good korean drama, because it could be 30-40 episode. I absolutely love season one, season two was okay but not great, and do not get me started on season three. I cannot picture any korean actress playing the part of Claire Daines because she is just so crazyily awesome, but i can see him playing damian lewis's part. [SPOILER DELETED]

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Nancy

February 21, 2014 at 12:59 PM

I guess it depends on if he's playing Brody or a male version of Carrie but the ending of season 3 was shocking. I remember how a reporter ruined it for J-Law. This article does seem like he'll play Brody so um, sighs.

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mudaepo

February 21, 2014 at 1:04 PM

I'm thinking the exact opposite. This is exactly the kind of show i cannot imagine on korean television.

So many elements wouldn't be translated properly in Korea (except if it is on cable, and even then...). You can say goodbye to torture, real violence, sex, crazy bipolar Claire Danes, complex characters relationships, etc.
I mean i can already imagine the female lead revealed as the hero long-lost first love and her longing gazes each time she meets Kim Nam Gil with some Kpop ballad playing in the background...
The IRIS franchise proved that that even if Korea can sometimes do interesting and fun to watch spy drama, Korea cannot do realistic spy drama which is Homeland's interest in my opinion.

I heard this will be an adaptation of the israeli series which i haven't seen so the plot may differ from Showtime's Homeland but i don't feel reassured about this anyway.

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Hazel

February 21, 2014 at 1:45 PM

I've been dying to see Homeland, but all the negative word of mouth about the second and third seasons has made me question whether it's even worth diving into.

And I'm also a little disappointed that it seems the Korean remake is ignoring Showtime's retooling of the original that inserted a complicated heroine at the center and opting instead for the more traditional (for this sort of story) male hero (....looking at the cast list for Prisoners of War, it seems the Israeli original is more male-centric, which is odd considering females are drafted in the Israeli military).

The female character in this remake would probably be relegated to love interest whom the hero leans on for emotional support (bleh) and at some point becomes a damsel in need of rescue or else some hackneyed femme fatale. If we're lucky she'll be a competent buttkicker, but she won't be written with much complexity.

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Nancy

February 21, 2014 at 2:02 PM

Even though season 2 and 3 weren't as great, it's still one of the better shows on TV that's worth the watch IMO. But def check out season 1.

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mudaepo

February 21, 2014 at 2:10 PM

Second season was objectively great, on par with the first.
Third season disappointed many fans but i personally loved it, lots of great twists.
Damian Lewis is great but the heart of this show is Claire Danes. She is just mindblowing.

Anyway, i have a feeling this is gonna be veeeery different from the original and the us remake. I mean, a few years back korean producers bought the rights to the City Hunter manga, and look where it got us...

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canxi

February 21, 2014 at 3:11 PM

Aww, have more faith! Not everyone writes females in that way. I think we have to see who they pick as writer first. I think the person who wrote Two Weeks would be good--I liked how all the females were written in that show. Even the big bad had her layer to her...

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dpm

February 23, 2014 at 4:52 PM

On the contrary I hope this remake would be closer to the original Hatufim than the poorly written Homeland.

I first heard about Homeland having no idea it was a remake and with everyone praising it I was expecting really good tv but I dropped it after the first seven episodes. I just completely disliked it and I never thought of watching the original but people were saying it was completely different and I was still interested by the premise of long time prisoners returning to their families.
One episode of Hatufim made me more care about its characters than the seven I've watched of Homeland. When Homeland is all wild chase against terrorism, cheap cliffhangers and filled with unlikable characters, Hatufim chose to explore the psychological impact of the prisoners' return. On themselves, their families and the society. The female characters are actually very well developed and well written, each family reacting in completely different way to the event. It's a show that take its times to tell stories and I find the characters including the females ones vastly superior to their Homeland counterparts. There certainly are much more realistic than a completely unprofessional CIA agent who should have been sacked since day 1.

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pogo

February 22, 2014 at 10:34 AM

maybe if JTBC got this, it could work? They weren't afraid to go there with Cruel City last year.

But overall, I do share your scepticism on how some of the show's more family-unfriendly aspects will translate to Korean television. And it's a shame we'll have no Carrie.

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7 kellie

February 21, 2014 at 12:57 PM

Aren't they going the wrong way with KNG? Dark, dark, serious, serious. His popularity in QSD was based a lot on the wild, cocky humor of his character. I'd like to see him do something modern that's funny & romantic.

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TS

February 21, 2014 at 6:08 PM

Yeah, Bidam went downhill when he got serious and Mishal-like.

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8 Noelle

February 21, 2014 at 1:15 PM

I don't know much about him but the show itself is amazing. I wonder how they are going to do it? Will it be on OCN? Wait is OCN the channel I'm thinking thats like HBO? My other big question other than whose in it is who will be the writing/directing team?

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9 fab

February 21, 2014 at 1:22 PM

Too political, I like my dramas down to earth. So please cast someone else and let my Kim Nam Gil pick anything else.

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TS

February 21, 2014 at 6:08 PM

He'll still die.

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10 jadea

February 21, 2014 at 1:26 PM

I like to see Kim Nam Gil in a romcom but then he'd probably die in one of those too

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fab

February 21, 2014 at 1:49 PM

LOL
He should just do a romcom before he actually dies or I die...

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TS

February 21, 2014 at 6:08 PM

Ha, yes!

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11 saranga

February 21, 2014 at 1:48 PM

i skimmed a bunch of episodes homeland season 1 a couple months back. it wasn't my cup of tea (i'm a wimp when it comes to violence!), but a korean version of it would be very interesting.

kim nam-gil seems like such an obvious choice though. he's got the whole dark moody thing going, and he's always done heavier stuff, melos. i know this might be even more obvious, but i'd prefer him to do something light and fluffy, and see a fresh face in this role. (kim woo-bin?! i'm dying to see him onscreen again.)

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12 dramabuff

February 21, 2014 at 2:46 PM

I saw Prisoner of War and Homeland is one of the best series out of Showtime, if the Korean Drama Gods are going to mess with perfection they had better come out fighting. None of the celebrities aka POP Stars cannot act to save their life kind of actors. Risky move, to the Korean-centric, do not fuss and take it personal when the massive criticize. Although, I am not saying that the series are on the same level, but who would dare remake the " Godfather" or "Lawrence of Arabia"?

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13 canxi

February 21, 2014 at 3:08 PM

I've never watched Homeland but I've heard good things about it. Maybe I'll give it a go to get an idea of what this drama would be like.

I LOVE Kim Nam Gil but I also share the concern that people will kill his character off. I think he needs to start demanding that his role NOT die at any point in a drama--even just bluffing, lol.

But, this would definitely suit him. I also think he should go into rom-coms since he has such a silly personality in real life and it would be great to see it on screen as well but then it'd have to be really good and there are not many of those in Dramaland D:

Aw, well. If he gets cast, I'm definitely watching, anyway hahaha.

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14 foulou

February 21, 2014 at 4:33 PM

Homeland season 1 was booooooring I didn't dare finish it. Ugh.

Just remake the best show ever Breaking Bad. Will watch it again and again and again.

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Hazel

February 21, 2014 at 7:30 PM

You can't just go and "remake" a show like Breaking Bad, lol.

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houstontwin

February 22, 2014 at 10:09 PM

Breaking Bad is so specific in terms of place and culture, right down to the mariachi band. What would be the Korean equivalent?

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daktari34

February 22, 2014 at 3:19 AM

I doubt you would ever see a show with Breaking Bad's storyline on Korean TV.

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15 eny

February 21, 2014 at 5:06 PM

sounds like interesting story, should check it

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16 kanz

February 21, 2014 at 5:30 PM

Can we plase have him in a good drama and character that won't die?? I had experience KNG's death on-screen 3 times and it's heartbroken.
Anyway, just curious, is there any other actor under Star J? Cuz we can't be sure KNG will take it if there's other actors

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canxi

February 21, 2014 at 6:20 PM

Lee Soo Hyuk just moved over to that company, I believe.
Soo Ae is also under them...

I am not sure who else... :X
But there are probably not a lot, lol.

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pogo

February 22, 2014 at 10:41 AM

interesting, looks like Su Ae has moved agencies (she was with NOA which got into a fight with SBS and prevented her and Gong Hyo-jin from attending their end of year award ceremonies, and from getting any awards for Yawang and Master's Sun - i.e. two of SBS' biggest hits of 2013)

I hope the agency change also gives Lee Soo Hyuk a career boost, he was kind of languishing with Sidus. (which doesn't seem to be promoting any of its younger actor crew apart from Kim Woo Bin)

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canxi

February 22, 2014 at 12:41 PM

Oh was she? Hrmmm. A lot of actors are switching companies these days. I guess since it's a new year, lol.

I hope all goes well for Lee Soo Hyuk, too. He's been improving and I want him to take on more roles. His role in Shark was really good for him since he wasn't a genius or vampire or super-assasin but just an everyday guy (lol, more or less). Since he's soo model-esque, though he's been looking less and less strictly-runway/high-fashion lately, I think it's important for him to have more relatable roles

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17 kanz

February 21, 2014 at 5:31 PM

Can we plase have him in a good drama and character that won't die?? I had experience KNG's death on-screen 3 times and it's heartbroken.
Anyway, just curious, is there any other actor under Star J entertainment? Cuz we can't be sure KNG will take it if there's other actors

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18 redfox

February 21, 2014 at 11:56 PM

because of this, just remembered his pirate movie, where can I watch that?

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19 korfan

February 22, 2014 at 2:03 AM

I've never seen Homeland, but I've heard more positive than negative things about it. ..... A Korean remake of Homeland could be interesting.

Regarding Kim Nam-gil .... I must be the only one who doesn't mind seeing him in dark, moody, melo-y stuff .... even with the deaths and all. ...... But I can see how a change (and no dying) would be nice.

Let's face it, we want our Kim Nam-gil animated and moving around for the duration. Heh.

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20 subject

February 22, 2014 at 5:37 AM

As an Israeli who saw Hatufim (literally means kidnapped/snatched) during its airing and waiting intently for a third season, I'm pretty sure the Korean version will be much closer to the Israeli version than its American remake.

Anyways, writer-nim, please don't kill KNG again. Let him, for once, live till the end.

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21 beggar1015

February 22, 2014 at 6:29 PM

I'm sorry, I couldn't get past staring at the picture. Were you saying something?

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22 Leslie

February 23, 2014 at 1:28 AM

My thoughts when reading the title, in this order:

1. "Make it so."
2. "Please don't die."

From the bottom of my cold, dead heart; pretty please with sugar on top, let KNG make a drama where the character lives in the end.

KNG is awesome playing complicated, tortured, antiheroes. I get that revenge is bad "MMMKay" but enough already with characters who die for no good reason. Seriously, the only KNG character I can think of that survived was in "No Regret" and he was in a freaking grave about to be killed.

You know what would work for me right about now? A rom-com like Master's Sun or a bromance drama like A Gentleman's Dignanty with Uhm Tae Woong . They are so funny together. Yes, yes that's it! A KNG & UTW bromance drama. My heart is racing! ;)

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23 Xiuhua

February 23, 2014 at 2:55 AM

He is like Korean ver. of Sean Bean. I just hope he wouldn't die in the next drama or movie.

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24 Tere

February 23, 2014 at 6:14 AM

Where I heard about this, I was "dug-dug-dug-dug" *My heart skips a beat*. A friend ask me this: "What if his character will die again? Another sacrifice to us fans?" I told my friend that "You should pray for his character's success." If he will accept this kind of drama, then I wish that he will not died again. But he's the actor who loses in every character that he work.