Lee Je-hoon teams up with Misaeng PD for tvN's Signal

59 August 20, 2015January 7, 2016

Lee Je-hoon teams up with Misaeng PD for tvN’s Signal

by girlfriday

I’m so glad that Lee Je-hoon hasn’t run away from dramaland to only do movies — it’s so my fear with good actors like him. His army comeback drama Secret Door might’ve been a disappointment, but maybe he’ll finally meet the right project in Signal, tvN’s upcoming crime thriller from PD Kim Won-seok (Misaeng) and writer Kim Eun-hee (Three Days, Ghost, Sign).

It’s honestly the team-up between Lee Je-hoon and PD Kim Won-seok that interests me more than anything, because Lee Je-hoon was reportedly the director’s first choice to play the leading character Jang Geu-rae in Misaeng. I ended up loving Im Shi-wan in the role, but it kind of hurts my heart to think how amazing Lee Je-hoon would’ve been in it. (He turned down Misaeng and ultimately came back in Secret Door… which also hurts my heart, for totally different reasons.)

The drama is a crime thriller based on Bong Joon-ho’s film Memories of Murder, about the real-life Hwaseong serial murder case from the 1980s that remains unsolved to this day. But the show includes an interesting twist on the crime-solving: present-day detectives are able to communicate with past detectives via an old two-way radio, which helps them tackle long-term unsolved cases. I can’t gather from the short description whether this is a magical radio that defies the space-time continuum, or if they just mean they call some retired veteran detectives to help them out.

Lee Je-hoon has signed on to headline as the profiler on the detective team that’s been tasked to deal with long-term unsolved cases. He’s described as an ironic character, in that he’s a cop who distrusts cops. He’s a professional, but he’s also full of wit and humanity. On paper, most detective stories and their usual characters sound about the same, but I’m hoping that the Kim Won-seok/Lee Je-hoon combo brings something new to the game. Either that, or the walkie-talkie that may or may not travel through space and time.

Signal will follow Answer Me 1988 on Fridays and Saturdays in January 2016.

Via DongA

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Tags: Lee Je-hoon, Signal

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1 Tazzo

August 20, 2015 at 3:13 AM

Hyun Bin's army comeback project was also a disappointment of huge proportions, I hope he gets to work in a good cable drama next.

Lee Je-Hoon, fighting!

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2 whitewire

August 20, 2015 at 3:16 AM

The moment I saw Kim Eun-hee I was convinced. What a brilliaaaaant writer. (Of course and married to another brilliant writer Jang Hang-joon who wrote King of Dramas and King of Dramaaaas I expect no less) Kim Eun-hee captured my heart since SIGN. What a divine piece of drama. I very much preferred it back then over My Princess, which had close ratings competition. (But SIGN won overall so hurray) Woooo what a ride! I would have to queue this one now in my anticipated dramas. I dont know the actor yet, but it is Jang Hang-joon's wife Kim Eun-hee!

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news

August 20, 2015 at 3:25 AM

If you don't know the actor yet, I recommend you checking out Bleak Night. This is the first role I saw him in and is still my favorite of his work.

I haven't seen Sign, but your comment makes me curious.

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fay17

August 20, 2015 at 5:05 AM

@whitewire I read your comment and went to check the reviews of sign..and people're saying it mostly got boring around second half.=/ Would it still be watchable?

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fab

August 20, 2015 at 5:20 AM

It got quiet repetitive, and the ending isn't ideal for most but I thought it was fascinating.

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fab

August 20, 2015 at 5:23 AM

The I word I should use is "quite" not "quiet".

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3 news

August 20, 2015 at 3:21 AM

Wait, what?! He was offered the role of Jang Geu-rae in Misaeng? Yes, I also loved Im Shi-wan in the role, but let me join you in your heartbreak.

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mary

August 20, 2015 at 4:04 AM

*adds pieces of her heart to the broken pile*

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mary

August 20, 2015 at 4:05 AM

*sneaks in to keep a piece back for Rim oppar*

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nomad

August 20, 2015 at 4:37 PM

:) @mary

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news

August 20, 2015 at 9:42 PM

I like Rim too ;-)

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mary

August 21, 2015 at 9:09 AM

You. Me. Meet in Han River pls.

Don't tell the cops.

news

August 21, 2015 at 3:33 PM

Lol

pogo

August 20, 2015 at 9:24 AM

I'd say it's more heartbreaking that he didn't get to take full advantage of giving a killer performance in Architecture 101 - while Suzy, who was pretty much just his crush object and with not even 1 percent of his talent, proceeded to media play her way into stardom via CFs.

Just saying.

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4 fab

August 20, 2015 at 3:26 AM

Now THIS is good casting to wake up to!
Communication via a two-way radio to the past, imagine the sci-fi possibilities and originality.
Either way I'm very excited for this writer/PD duo.

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5 Mila

August 20, 2015 at 3:34 AM

My heart hurts when I think about him, I mean I really loved Siwas as he did an excellent job but Lee Je Hoon would have been wow.......
I really hope his next project is good T_T

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6 Riya

August 20, 2015 at 3:35 AM

Sounds like Hollywood film Frequency.

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Orion

August 20, 2015 at 4:12 AM

Except more crime-focused. I mean, that one was too, but the personal connection and mending of the relationship was a big part too. It does sound very interesting. I mean, if Dramaland wants to use supernatural elements, they might as well try something outside time travel, ghosts and vampires/aliens/other manner of pretty boys with superpowers.

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7 growingbeautifully

August 20, 2015 at 3:43 AM

Thanks GF!

Crime and detection with a possibility of a supernatural radio sounds like fun. I just have to check this show out. :)

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8 songnana

August 20, 2015 at 3:58 AM

Now that you say it, Lee Je Hoon as Jang Geu-rae....... .... .. .

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9 pigsnout

August 20, 2015 at 3:58 AM

I am going to be the only one who thinks Im Siwan's casting in Misaeng was perfect and I would not change it :) his acting was absolutely perfect but his shortness and extremely young-looking face just added to the character of Jang Geu Rae as the weak one and the underdog. Same with Kang Sora as Ahn Young Yi, that role was offered to Moon Geun Young but I can't see anyone else in her role now.

I really like Lee Je Hoon and I feel bad that he never got to take advantage of Architecture 101's success or media play it the way his costar did, but I hope this drama does well.

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Adal

August 20, 2015 at 5:06 AM

I agree with you Pigsnout, Im Siwan was perfect as Jang Geu Rae, in no small part due to his slight frame and innocent air. I don’t know if Le Je Hoon would've played him quite the same way. The physicality of the actor playing the role was quite important and in no small way contributed to our feelings of empathy we had for that beloved character.

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alua

August 20, 2015 at 6:34 AM

No, Im Siwan as Geu-rae was perfect for me too.

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Mary A

August 20, 2015 at 7:01 AM

Siwan was indeed perfect in Misaeng.

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pogo

August 20, 2015 at 7:47 AM

count me in on Team Im Siwan as Jang Geu-rae. That boy didn't just play Geu-rae, he WAS Geu-rae. And he'd even proved it in the prequel short film, it would have been heartbreaking if he was passed over for the drama after that.

I agree with Adal that Siwan's slight frame and air of extreme youth added a lot to reinforcing the idea of Geu-rae as the underdog. It would not have come across as nearly as effective if they'd had a more conventional-looking actor in that role.

And it wasn't just the height, Im Shi-wan owned that role with such depth and subtlety that I simply cannot see it in the hands of another actor. Lee Je-hoon would have been good, no doubt, but I feel like he would have emphasised different things about Geu-rae and made a different character out of him, and frankly the one we already have is perfect.

Same with Kang Sora as Young-yi. Can't see Moon Geun-young in that role, no way.

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news

August 20, 2015 at 9:27 PM

Based on the comments, it doesn't sound like anyone is saying Im Siwan wasn't great or wasn't perfectly casted as Jang Geu Rae. I loved him in it.

For me, it's the curiosity of how Lee Je Hoon would've portrayed JG. It's not even about comparing who would've been better.

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10 mary

August 20, 2015 at 4:06 AM

Yey for a nice cop who isn't "crazily driven", "hunts monsters like a monster", and "has a painful past that causes him to lash out".

If he hates cops but is witty.... is he going to be a sarcastic type of colleague to them? Would be fun watching him react to drama cop stupidity. ^_____^

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fab

August 20, 2015 at 4:12 AM

Or a "geeeeeeeeeenius". ^^

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mary

August 20, 2015 at 4:23 AM

Oups. Sawry, I forgot about that part. XD

Fingers crossed he doesn't have 5 PhDs.

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fab

August 20, 2015 at 4:58 AM

...collected from various elite schools in the US. And hopefully the next casting won't for a damsel in distress who'll serve as a warm compress for his cold heart.

NOT happening, right?!

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11 Mary A

August 20, 2015 at 4:12 AM

From the writer to director and actor of this drama are all amazing . Seems worth to watch.

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Mary A

August 20, 2015 at 7:06 AM

I forgot to say the idea of using walkie-talkie to communicate reminds me of Landline book.

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12 dodo

August 20, 2015 at 4:36 AM

Siwan was really good as geu rae but damn. Je Hoon would kill it.
Wasn't Gap Dong also based on that movie? And isn't it... really recent?

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13 alienshore

August 20, 2015 at 5:21 AM

YEAH! This helps to take the stink out of my brain over the casting of Suzy in the next Lee Kyung Hee drama. I expect very good things from this drama!

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14 Bellamafia

August 20, 2015 at 5:34 AM

"This drama is based on real life hwaseong serial murder that remains unsolved until these days"..hmm..does it mean there will be an open ending? I prefer watching something with a conclusion you know...

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15 cheekbones

August 20, 2015 at 6:04 AM

Yay ! I'm glad Lee Je-hoon will be in a drama I'm actually interested to watch.

And that pic. He looks so yummy.... :D

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16 Nemo

August 20, 2015 at 6:37 AM

Secret Door over Misaeng? Too bad. He would be SUPER popular by now if he accepts the Jang Gu Rae role

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17 Sajen

August 20, 2015 at 7:03 AM

Personally if I were a Korean actor and I had started to be successful in film, nothing could make me go back to dramaland. Films have sane shooting schedules dramas do not.

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18 canxi

August 20, 2015 at 7:35 AM

Oooh, exciting. So many different adaptations for this case and this one sounds very interesting. I do hope that it's a magical radio and not old people. I think that it would be cool having two time-lines/generations of detectives play out at the same time and work together. Also I super love Lee Je Hoon and skipped his comeback.

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19 juniper

August 20, 2015 at 8:29 AM

Whyyyyy are they adapting source material they can't possibly improve upon. What a waste of talent in an exercise of futility.

I really can't blame Lee Je-hoon for choosing Secret Door over Misaeng. Secret Door had everything before it inexplicably pissed it all away: Hong Seok-kyu playing another king post-TWDR; an amazing cast; a solid writer who might have had what it takes; and timeless, uber dramatic subject matter. If Secret Door hadn't been such an epic fail in creating a convincing synthesis of emotion and politics, and inexplicably killed all its most interesting toadies by the halfway point...it would have blown Misaeng out of the water. Really it needed a much closer understanding of both Sado and Yeongjo, and enough balls to intervene in the narrative presented in Lady Hyegyung's Memoirs, rather than pretending they didn't exist and reducing Sado to a lost little lamb who was on the right side of history for random political fights a, b, and c. And more time in preproduction. As it stands Eight Days is still the only Sado drama worth watching, because it actually dealt with the historical narrative surrounding Sado and the hypocrisies rife in LHGM. Now that was a great drama.

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pogo

August 20, 2015 at 9:29 AM

Exactly - big, prestigious sageuk based on one of the most well-known episodes of Korean history and packed full of big names on a major channel versus cable drama based on a webtoon about ordinary workers?

I know which one would sound better on paper to an actor freshly out of the army and looking to re-establish himself.

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Xiarylle

August 20, 2015 at 10:01 AM

I agree with you. It definitely made sense for Lee Je-hoon to choose Secret Door. That drama had the potential to be a huge success. The material was all there, I mean, it IS one of the most controversial, heartbreaking and dysfunctional father-son relationship in the history of royal families around the globe; the actors definitely did an amazing job and even the production itself was gorgeous. Even know, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the trajectory where the storytelling/ scriptwriting went. Because it had a good start, it was rather shocking to me how a show with a wonderful start could end up like that. But really, who are we kidding? it's not the first time I've ben burned by dramas with promising first episodes and end up ultimately disappointing.

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Xiarylle

August 20, 2015 at 10:02 AM

Even now*

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juniper

August 20, 2015 at 12:34 PM

It breaks my heart to remember the first couple of episodes of Secret Door, it really does. How could something so fraught and intense...become something so listless and mind numbing? And then the whole thing with KYJ getting fired halfway through, Lee Won-jong dying around then too, Kim Chang-wan getting sent off with like 5-10 episodes to go, how the father/son drama was reduced to clichéd paste-and-cut political proxy wars...aaaaargh.

The worst thing, though, is that the build up to the rice box was so lazy and reliant on random stupid coincidences that it was exponentially more infuriating, because you really have to earn that kind of ending...pretty sure no one else in the line of succession got stuffed in a rice box in the entire history of Joseon, so standard political fights from every single other middling sageuk out there just did not apply.

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Kiara

August 20, 2015 at 11:53 AM

Very few writers these days have the guts to write about the anti-heros and lesser known historical figures like the sageuk writers of the past.
Writer Jung Hyun-Min of Jeong DoJeon is someone I'd love to follow. Thank goodness Jung Ha-Yeon is still around. Shin-don and King Injo are not your typical historical heroes that everyone worship. Don't know what happen to Lee Hwan Kyung. Maybe he retired already.

I'm getting tired of sageuks that are written just for the damn ratings and nothing more. "Six flying dragons" is probably heading that route too. I have a love and hate relationship with writer Kim Young-Hyun. She is creative but she'll change her story in a second to please the fans. Dae Jang Geum and Queen Seon Deok would've end differently. Tree with deep roots was the exception.

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juniper

August 20, 2015 at 12:18 PM

Oh my god, can you imagine if Jung Ha-yeon got his hands on Sado and Yeongjo? Or Lady Hyegyung, even? Holy cow. He's one of the very few writers you can trust to intervene in conventional wisdom and flesh out complicated historical figures, and create a dialogue between the character as a human being, and the soulcrushing reality of the times they lived in. He could have given us the crazy, murdering Sado and pathologically OCD Yeongjo straight out of Lady Hyegyung's Memoirs (not that he would do something that simple and reductive), and he still would have made us sympathize with them and feel what they felt. As you say, if he can turn Injo into a pitiable character of Shakespearean proportions, or defy hundreds of years' time on Korean history's shitlist to showcase Shin Don as a radical, proto-socialist political hero....he can do anything.

I watched a lot of Kim Young-hyun's dramas when I was still new to sageuk, so I probably have a rosier picture of her dramas than most sageuk fans. I agree, though, TWDR was different, imo because a) HSK, and b) even if the history wasn't all that well-done, it did a great job thematically, engaging with Hangul on a semiotic level.

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Kiara

August 20, 2015 at 4:58 PM

I love his uniqueness and appreciate him for not being part of the masses who writes only about historical heroes and whatever is popular.

That is so true about his ability to flesh out complicated historical figures and make us sympathize with them and feel what they felt. Even side characters like Empress Ki in Shin-don was well done. I couldn't even watch the latest with Ha Ji-won.

I would really love it if he did a drama based on Grand Prince Suyang aka King Sejo (another complicated historical figure on the shit-list). I would totally die and go to heaven.

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juniper

August 20, 2015 at 5:52 PM

I would die and go to heaven too if I could see Jung Ha-yeon's version of Sejo!! Or if he was doing one on Taejong, instead of Kim Young-hyun...

Kiara

August 20, 2015 at 9:55 PM

@juniper Jung is in his 70s and I hope that he is not going into retirement because that would suck for us. I sure hope he's healthy and working on his next sageuk :).

juniper

August 21, 2015 at 7:00 AM

@Kiara. Let's hope! Sageuk fans would be lost without him.

juniper

August 20, 2015 at 9:39 PM

*Han Seok-kyu, not Hong. My bad! *facepalm*

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20 Kiara

August 20, 2015 at 8:44 AM

Love love love Lee Je-hoon. I will definitely watch this.

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21 blo

August 20, 2015 at 8:50 AM

I'm still trying to trudge along on Secrete Door for him. I'm excited and hope this one will be a hit.

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22 Sailor Mars

August 20, 2015 at 8:53 AM

Im Siwan was simply perfect in Misaeng. Can't imagine another actor in the role. Only saw Lee Je Hoon in Bleak Night and he is really good in the film. The story seems interesting and, as someone who really liked Gap Dong, I will try to watch this. tvN does interesting dramas, probably the most original channel that I know.

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23 luvKdramas

August 20, 2015 at 9:56 AM

Like Lee Je Hoon's acting. Look forward to this drama.

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24 marishalev

August 20, 2015 at 4:37 PM

Lee Je-hoon is such great, great actor. I really wish him a long and successful career.

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25 liddi

August 20, 2015 at 5:19 PM

Lee Je Hoon, Misaeng PD, Kim Eun Hee. A match made in heaven. How much longer to January? Lee Je Hoon is brilliant in Bleak Night and My Paparotti (two polar opposite characters, but he nailed them perfectly). Not as impressive in Secret Door, but I blame that squarely on the ridiculous plot and characterisations that flip flopped and gave me whiplash, a total disappointment considering the dream cast it boasted.

Much as I love him, honestly, no one else could have played Jang Geu Rae but Siwan - he embodied Jang Geu Rae, just as every other cast in Misaeng was spot on perfect for their roles.

Truly looking forward to this drama, and praying it delivers on all counts. Can't wait to see who else is cast.

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26 Waiting

August 21, 2015 at 2:52 PM

Okay, I like my Misaeng just as it is (Im Siwan!!! <3) and have not yet basked in the apparent amazingness that is Lee Je hoon. So, please, tell me what to watch to see it as I have not seen much of his work yet and Secret Door seems not to be a good choice.

Thanks!!