Kim Sang-joong considers being Rebel Hong Gil-dong’s father

by tineybeanie

Kim Sang-joong (Jingbirok, Bad Guys) is one of those actors who makes the screen come alive with his raw charismatic energy. I’d say he has a vibe similar to Choi Min-soo or Kim Myung-min, in that he just radiates an aura of power. If you’ve seen any of his past works like Bad Guys or City Hunter, you know he can make even the most hateful villains seem complex and twistedly sympathetic. After a near two-year hiatus from the small screen, he has been offered the role of Hong Gil-dong’s father in upcoming fusion sageuk Rebel Hong Gil-dong.

Legendary bandit Hong Gil-dong is Joseon’s Robin Hood, famous for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, and his heartbreaking childhood as a nobleman’s illegitimate son. He wasn’t allowed to acknowledge his father as his father in public because of his low birth, and eventually went on to create a utopian nation where even second-class sons were accepted. The fictional character’s story has been adapted and remade as the basis for many works including Kang Ji-hwan’s 2008 miniseries Hong Gil-dong, Lee Beom-soo’s comedy-heist film Descendants of Hong Gil-dong, and Lee Je-hoon’s crime noir movie Phantom Detective Hong Gil-dong.

It looks like the upcoming adaptation Rebel Hong Gil-dong will focus on the hero’s journey as a political revolutionary and show him as the people’s maverick, working toward the complete upheaval of Joseon’s social class system. They’ve already approached several top actors to join the cast including Ji Sung (Entertainer), Namgoong Min (Beautiful Gong Shim), Honey Lee (Come Back, Ajusshi), and now Kim Sang-joong. PD Kim Jin-man, who directed Ji-sung’s hit drama Kill Me, Heal Me, will be taking the helm on this project. In addition, Hwang Jin-young, the writer behind Seo Hyun-jin’s sageuk King’s Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang, will be writing the script.

Fusion sageuk Rebel Hong Gil-dong is scheduled to premiere at the start of next year, after Night Light, which follows MBC’s currently-airing Monday-Tuesday drama, Woman With a Suitcase.

Via Herald Pop

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