First script read for fantasy sageuk Night Watchman

58 June 12, 2014April 8, 2017

First script read for fantasy sageuk Night Watchman

by girlfriday

Production is officially underway for MBC’s new ghostbusting fantasy sageuk The Records of a Night Watchman, starring Jung Il-woo (Gold Rainbow) as a prince gifted with the supernatural ability to see ghosts who moonlights as a night watchman to rid the world of evil spirits. The fictional universe of the drama is filled with magic, mythical creatures, mountain gods, and terrifying curses, which both excites me (potential for a grand mythology!) and terrifies me (it could be so bad!).

Case in point: One of the latest casting additions to the drama is Kim Sung-oh (Age of Feeling, When a Man Loves), as a psychic who worships a serpent monster deep in the heart of Mt. Baekdu. The serpent monster, an imugi, is a mythological creature that starts out as a giant serpent and amasses power to become a dragon. (It’s the legend behind the dragons in D-War, for instance.) Kim Sung-oh plays the story’s main villain who tries to raise the dormant imugi and harness its power to take over the world. All I have to say is, Show, you’d better get your CG ducks in a row, because that line between genre spectacle and cartoony disaster? It’s very, very thin.

Dragon dilemma aside, he should make for a great villain, though the king (Choi Won-young, Three Days) has the most interesting backstory as a former night watchman who bested an imugi in his youth. In his days as a warrior, he saves a woman who preserves the energy of Mt. Baekdu, and she falls in love with him at first sight. Their story will be tragic, while Jung Il-woo will meet the mountain-energy-guarding heroine Go Sung-hee (Miss Korea) in much the same manner in the present day, hopefully to less tragic consequences. More and more, this drama feels like Gu Family Book, just with ghost-fighters instead of gumihos.

The cast includes Yunho (Poseidon) and Yoon Tae-young (King’s Daughter Soo Baek-hyang) as fellow night watchmen, Seo Ye-ji (Potato Star 2013QR3) as the young noblewoman intent on marrying the prince, and Kim Heung-soo (President) as the illegitimate prince who makes a political play for the throne.

Night Watchman follows Triangle in late July.

Via Star News, Hankooki

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1 soserious

June 12, 2014 at 12:17 PM

jung il-woo! he's looks so serious and dandy here :D

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jomo143

June 12, 2014 at 4:43 PM

I was going to say the same thing.
So grown-up!

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skelly

June 12, 2014 at 5:59 PM

I thought he looked a little Grimm.

(running and hiding)

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2 redfox

June 12, 2014 at 12:19 PM

*swoon*
his seriousness is seriously like awfully sexy here.
I reaaaaallly hope it is good, and *wink wink* and *leery*
khmmm
Jung Il Woo doesnt deserve another crappy drama so please be good

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3 pabo ceo reom

June 12, 2014 at 12:26 PM

You know.... I don't see a particular someone. Does this mean my wish came true? If not, boo. My Jung Il-woo love is gonna be seriously tested.

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atz

June 12, 2014 at 12:46 PM

No, he was abroad performing his concert. I know I had the same hope......oy.

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suzie

June 12, 2014 at 4:32 PM

So long as he is invisble and only minimal background scene per episode and no much talking too.

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atz

June 12, 2014 at 12:57 PM

I had the same hope like you do. But a particular someone was abroad performing his concert. When I heard this news, my hope was crashed!! Still Compared to Doctor Stranger, this plot can not be as bad as DS's directionless plot.

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maldita

June 12, 2014 at 3:23 PM

He was busy slaying Japan with his concert tour. :)

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4 Chandler

June 12, 2014 at 12:35 PM

Wooo hooo. I'm all for mythical creatures! But please please please be gooood.

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5 birdscout

June 12, 2014 at 12:41 PM

The lighting in the first pic makes Jung Il-woo look all ghosty-like :) He sure is handsome!

In the last pic, Go Sung-hee looks like she could be
Gong Hyo-jin's sister. Beautiful!

Can't wait for this drama!

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6 Adal

June 12, 2014 at 12:42 PM

Go JIW! Mr Smexy!! He's looking really HOT in these pics!

On a serious note, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is one good drama! The ones currently airing have been a bit disappointing no matter how much I really anticipated watching them!

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7 Mandy

June 12, 2014 at 12:59 PM

That is a slightly complicated novel-inspired like story they have there. It's ambitious to say the least, I just hope they have the budget for something like this or it could get really lame really fast.

GFB didn't use too much CGs and I loved that that drama was much more about human relationships and life lessons more than it's about being flashy. This one sounds different to me... Similar to those Chinese sci-fi dramas? I don't watch them but saw some trailers. Hopefully the CG is better because Cdramas sting my eye from it's fakeness.

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8 Kiara

June 12, 2014 at 1:06 PM

"Universe of the drama is filled with magic, mythical creatures, mountain gods, and terrifying curses ... "

My kind of world. Maybe I'll stop re-watching "Merlin" if this is going to be good.

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daktari34

June 12, 2014 at 3:28 PM

Have you watched Buffy or Xena from older series? Witches of Eastwick, Teen Wolf and Supernatural from current series? I found those to be rather good.

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Kiara

June 12, 2014 at 4:13 PM

I did thank you :).

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Saya

June 12, 2014 at 4:56 PM

Merliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin.

k that's all.

still not recovered from the disaster that was season 5, and an ending 10 million x worse than God's Gift

going back to my wardrobe of pain and crying

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Kiara

June 12, 2014 at 5:40 PM

I know how you feel. It still hurts so I've been re-watching my favorites, Season 1-4. Not going to watch the last 2 episodes ever again.

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daktari34

June 12, 2014 at 11:05 PM

The ending was expected if they stayed true to the legends but Season 5 was unforgivable. My only consolation is at least it wasn't as bad as Starz' Camelot.

To this day though I have always found the Mists of Avalon a better retelling of the King Arthur saga.

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Kiara

June 13, 2014 at 7:49 AM

I honestly didn't expect them to go that far. I expected to see Albion ruled by Arthur with Merlin and Guinevere by his side. That's what they were fighting for.

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9 kanz

June 12, 2014 at 1:07 PM

After reading your description, GF, this drama reminds me of Gu Family Book too. A man falls in love in the first sight with a woman then the curse. Hopefully not similar in ending :))

JIW looks good but what happens with Chan Young's Dad? He looks older here. Must be the mustache and beard.

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10 CaroleMcDonnell

June 12, 2014 at 1:19 PM

i am so gonna be in sajeuk heaven this summer!!!! And fantasy ...SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD

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Peridot

June 12, 2014 at 1:50 PM

Yes, we both will. Let's cross our fingers that this show will not disappoint. I love period pieces and I love fantasy. I could have sworn that the father's character possesses a similar ghost-seeing ability that turned him mad/paranoid. I'm not wrong, right? I love the idea of trans-generational powers. But I hope that this show does not follow the disappointing path of Gu Family Book.

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11 mary

June 12, 2014 at 1:26 PM

Kim Sung Oh looks like TOP. :D

JIW looks so serious. I kinda expected him to be cheerful/cheeky in the script reading because I was getting SKKS vibes from this drama. But it looks like it'll be more of Iljimae with some fantasy stuff mixed in. Not a good or bad thing per se. Maybe JIW is trying to avoid being pigeon-holed into sassy roles?

Either way, am excited for JIW and KSO.

(And SJR. But that's a diff drama...)

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redfox

June 13, 2014 at 5:38 AM

avoiding the sassy? but we adore him as the sneaky winking charmer... we love to surrender to the wink.
seriously I´d say ok to anything being winked at like that

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redfox

June 13, 2014 at 5:39 AM

well, not EVERYTHING

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12 Cocoboo

June 12, 2014 at 2:50 PM

Jung Il Woo looks so handsome!

Loving the fantasy sageuk element of this drama. I didn't know about the dragons, lol.
I hope the show will deliver though.

I haven't watched Gu Family Book so I'll be more open about this type of drama.

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13 daktari34

June 12, 2014 at 3:21 PM

Joseon Gunman and Night Watchman - at last 2 dramas I feel like watching after what seems like a long time.

Hopefully they both live up to the hype and HeadsNo2 finally gets to recap a decent drama.

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Requiem

June 12, 2014 at 5:14 PM

Hmmmm, can we keep HeadsNo2 away from Joseon Gunman, I mean I like her recapping style and she really deserves a good drama to recap, and I don't REALLY believe in curses....

It's just that I like to play the odds....

I also hope that GF's prediction of Night Watchman being Gu Family Book 2 doesn't come true....

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fanwho

June 13, 2014 at 4:47 AM

Can I buy incense from the lady near Mary's workplace for Heads? It worked for Mary. Heads will definitely break off 'bad drama recap' curse with it.

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daktari34

June 12, 2014 at 11:08 PM

If these dramas start out strong and end up like Gu Family Book, I think I will take a break from kdramas (yes I am really at that point where reading recaps is actually more enjoyable than watching the dramas themselves).

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14 maldita

June 12, 2014 at 3:25 PM

I'm hoping this is a good drama! The last Jung Ilwoo project that I really liked was Flower Boy Ramen Shop. The rest of the cast seems solid, so I'm hoping the writing will also hold up.

Really, I wonder how the hell Yunho will film this when his Japan concert tour runs until August or so.

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atz

June 12, 2014 at 4:01 PM

Maybe he will be a ghost disappearing into night sky,,,his presence can be morphic, computer graphic can be used to shadowing his figure,,, then he cannot speak just like Kim jae wook in the police drama

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ken

June 12, 2014 at 4:10 PM

This.
Preach.
This is not a bad idea at all.
:D

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jen

June 12, 2014 at 4:37 PM

Ya ..make his entrance to the drama as late as possible .He is never missed.save us a lot of anxiety watching him act and speak with his weird voice.I much prefer maybe last part of the drama as a non talking ghost lol

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skelly

June 12, 2014 at 6:02 PM

Or a coma. A coma would be good.

Still wondering what on earth made the powers-that-be decide that he was a good fit for this drama, in terms of talent, time, or experience. Are rabid fangirls the whole answer?

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Haley

June 12, 2014 at 6:36 PM

@skelly
That's because Yunho's star power and popularity is NO joke.
In Japan, TVXQ duo are the most popular, top earning, and top selling Korean idols. Yunho's self-composed solo song, November With Love, got the number one #1 spot on China's Baidu King Music Chart. According to Chinese Baidu Bar site, Yunho is in the Top 18 most popular Korean male (individual) idols in China. In South America, he is popular in Chile and Peru. In Europe, he's got many fans in France and Italy.
Despite bad acting, he is still more famous than many A-list K- actors too.

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swan

June 12, 2014 at 8:50 PM

of course this are coming from his fans. In reality it is half naked truth.He is popular but when looking in the same prospective as other idols.It is comparing apples with apples that counts. and he is not so popular in that aspect.

Haren

June 12, 2014 at 7:26 PM

yes.

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Stacey

June 13, 2014 at 2:03 AM

@swan
Lol..."he is not so popular in that aspect"...TVXQ may not be the number one most popular group, Yunho is one of the most popular idols, no matter what you say.

Haley

June 13, 2014 at 2:09 AM

@swan
some idol actors are better than him, but others are really bad at acting too. No matter what, Yunho is indeed one of the most popular K- idols, and he got casting offer because of his star power and popularity overseas.

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yasmin

June 13, 2014 at 4:15 AM

Thanks for being upfront that he is a crappy at acting. And he got the cast not by his own merit but by being popular. I pray for the other casts members.

berolling

June 12, 2014 at 8:50 PM

He'll have time to film, concert ends on either the 22 or 23 this month.

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15 yuriyuri

June 12, 2014 at 5:32 PM

jung il woo is just super handsome! :D

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16 enz

June 12, 2014 at 6:27 PM

ooh i get worried when i see everyone looking so serious at the script reading! hope itll be good!

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17 lay

June 12, 2014 at 6:57 PM

wow JUNG IL WOO is so look very innocent handsome.he is very interesting script reading. good for feeling this drama.il woo shhi fighting!!!!!!!!<3 <3

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18 LillyLee

June 12, 2014 at 8:44 PM

Ahhh. Have been looking forward to this since I first read about it on here.

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19 Song Song

June 12, 2014 at 9:33 PM

Why are they so serious ? No smile at all.. geez..
I hope their chemistry at least will give us smiles in satisfaction..

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20 dtdt

June 12, 2014 at 10:50 PM

They were scolding "if you guys don't do the good job, you will be in trouble"

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ILUKD

June 13, 2014 at 7:23 AM

Only one who need this scolding is not present here .... YunHo you better act good or say goodbye to dramaworld ... please

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21 Rou

June 13, 2014 at 5:16 AM

Will I sound crazy if I say that Jung Il Woo looks more attractive when he's serious instead of smiling? I always liked that non-smiling face of his!

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22 ILUKD

June 13, 2014 at 5:19 AM

It's just sad to know that NOne of us miss YunHo here ... Oh god why he is doing this drama??? I am really really feeling bad for him. May be he is one of the popular star for Hallyu wave, but he just cannot act. Oh Yunho ... Poor you

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23 Lea

June 13, 2014 at 3:32 PM

The ghosts and mythology kind of remind me of Arang and I really liked the CG in Arang. Also the color palette in that drama was so rich and vibrant, I want this drama to be similar to that.

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24 candycane

June 14, 2014 at 6:37 PM

starpower or popular K-idol or whatever... Can Yunho just appear for a mere 30 seconds per episode as a mute character? Jung Il Woo is a good actor, and Choi Won Young is excellent! I really don't want this drama to be damaged by someone who cannot act :-( Oh well, there is always a fast-forward button....