News bites: May 9, 2015

by awcoconuts

Jung Il-woo, Kwak Dong-yeon

• Aww, this movie sounds cute, but what is it about Korean men being cast as C-level executives of IT companies in Chinese movies? In Rise of a Tomboy, Jung Il-woo (Records of a Night Watchman) will play the CEO of an IT firm, who’s very pragmatic on the job but who, in his personal life, is earnest about finding true love. The movie is a rom-com about a woman (Zhao Li Ying) who pooh-poohs the idea of love and tries to unravel the mystery of romance using mathematical formulas. Jung’s CEO will inspect Zhai’s love formula and help to develop an application for it, falling in love with Zhai in the process. Rise of a Tomboy is directed by Guo Dalei and also stars Hans Zhang and Kimmy Tong. [Osen]
• Yay, Kwak Dong-yeon (Hwajeong, Modern Farmer) has landed his first lead — in a web drama, but still, it’s a lead! He’ll pair up with Bora (of Sistar) in Brown-noser, which is based on the same-named webtoon by Lee Ik-soo. Kwak’s character is a guy who’s always been better at fisticuffs than at using his words, which has tainted his academic record. He’s made a promise to his mother that he’ll graduate high school and he transfers to gain a fresh start, but he lands at a school filled with misfits and students who’ve come back after taking time off. Bora had confirmed early on as a student at the new school, and the show will be all about their struggles to survive high school. Brown-noser begins in mid-June on Naver TV. [Korea Economy]


Kim Hae-sook, Moon Sori

• Park Chan-wook’s newest production has added two female cast members: Kim Hae-sook (Pinocchio, Marriage Not Dating) and Moon Sori (Law of Attraction) are joining Kim Min-hee and Ha Jung-woo in Agasshi. It’s a remake of the novel Fingersmith transplanted to Japan and Korea in the 1930s. Kim Hae-sook will play the head of housekeeping in Kim Min-hee’s remote mansion, while Moon will play Kim Min-hee’s aunt. Cameras for Agasshi begin rolling in June. [Xports News]
• Citing script rewrites and production delays, Lee Jung-jae (Big Match) has dropped out of Princess Deokhye (boo). However, Sohn Ye-jin (Pirates) is still considering the role of Joseon’s last princess, and production is expected to begin as soon as casting is complete. The novel and play versions of Princess Deokhye’s story have garnered much praise, and this version of her tragic life will be directed by Hur Jin-ho (Dangerous Liaisons, Christmas in August) and thus is hotly anticipated. [TV Report]


Hyun Woo, Sohn Dam-bi

• A new sitcom possibly starring Sohn Dam-bi (What’s With This Family) will air on cable channel Olive TV this June. In Yumi’s Room, Sohn would play the titular character, a single freelance web editor in her 30s who’s on a quest to find herself and happiness. She’s described as a 4-D character: sexy on the outside and arrogant about her prowess at her job, but terrible at dating and inside, an incredibly heodang girl. Hyun Woo (Gap-dong) has also been offered a role as a single guy-next-door, and he and Sohn are still considering the project. [Sports Worldi, TV Report]
• Lee Byung-heon has been cast in a remake of a 1960s Hollywood film, The Magnificent Seven. A Western film about seven gunmen, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke have also been cast. Lee’s just wrapped Beyond Deceit and the other Hollywood film he’s in, Terminator Genisys, will be released this July. [TV Report]


Jiyeon, Lee Dong-gun

• Jiyeon (of T-ara) has departed for China to begin work on the Chinese-Korean joint production Reunion. Not much is known about the plot, except that it will be a romance set on a cruise ship traversing the Indian Ocean near Barcelona, and that Lee Dong-gun (Superdaddy Yeol) is a possible co-star. His agency declined to confirm, however, and would only say that talks are “proceeding positively.” Reunion will hit theaters in October in China. [Star News]
• With the help of crowdfunding, Battle of Yeonpyeong is finally premiering on the big screen — the film raised 800 million won (just over 725,000 USD), giving it the honor of Korea’s most successful crowdfunding campaign to date. The movie overcame setbacks and stars Kim Mu-yeol, Jin Gu, and Lee Hyun-woo in a true story about the fateful day in June 2002 when the second battle in Yeonpyeong occurred. At a recent production briefing, the leads recalled vividly what they had actually been doing that day in 2002 (they, like the rest of the country, had been cheering on the national team in the World Cup), and expressed regrets that they weren’t aware of the lives that were being lost on behalf of citizens at the time. They were spurred to do the movie to honor the heroes of the day, and Battle of Yeonpyeong makes its wide release on June 11. [Sports Worldi, Yonhab]

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