News bites: March 4, 2017

by awcoconuts

Yoo Ah-in, Park Jung-min, Ahn Jae-hong

• Set in the near future, Hunting Time will be about three men who collaborate to steal a significant amount of money, and a villain in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, the casting process has been a bit hazy for the latest from Bleak Night director Yoon Sung-hyun, and a reunion with Lee Je-hoon (Tomorrow With You) may not happen after all. While Lee and his agency had been privy to early versions of the script and had been in talks with the director as of June of last year, Lee’s agency has stated that they haven’t seen a recent script and that Lee’s not currently attached to the film. Director Yoon’s prior collaborator Yoo Ah-in (in the short film Fragile) and Ahn Jae-hong (Reply 1988) have confirmed receipt of offers, but neither are locked in. On a positive note, Park Jung-min (Entourage, also Bleak Night), who’s been on a Chungmuro roll, is confirmed for a minor part in the movie. [Joongang, Ten Asia]
• Awww, I really, really like this pairing. Kang So-ra (Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho) will star opposite Rain (Come Back Ajusshi) in Uhm Bok-dong, the film about the famous Korean cyclist that’s being produced by Lee Beom-soo (he’ll also play the star cyclist’s teacher). Lee Shi-un (W–Two Worlds) was also added recently, and once casting is complete, cameras for the film will begin rolling before mid-year. [Joongang]


Rain, Kang So-ra

• The confirmation that Signal writer Kim Eun-hee’s next project Kingdom will premiere on Netflix makes me excited for the future of Korean dramas. Kim and directing partner Kim Sung-hoon (Tunnel, A Hard Day) are shaking up the scene by bypassing the major broadcasters and selecting a cutting edge platform for their zombie apocalypse drama set in Joseon, which will allow them increased flexibility with the show’s format. Kingdom will be an adaptation of the manhwa Country of God (previously published with another work as Burning Hell Country of God) and this will be writer Kim’s first time working with manhwa source material. [Asia E, Osen]
• Congratulations are in order for the cast and crew of Defendant; they’ve earned a reward vacation to Okinawa, Japan from March 22 to 25. This past Monday’s episode garnered an impressive 23.3%, and Defendant has consistently held first place in its time slot. [MBN]


Hyeri, Kim Min-seok

• The vision for this movie has gone through dramatic tonal shifts, but it’s a relief it settled on a comedic bent before producers began courting Hyeri (Entertainer) as the female lead. Kim Myung-min (Six Flying Dragons) previously confirmed he’ll star in Water Monster, formerly Jakseoui Byeon—Attack of the Water Monster, which will take place in Joseon as King Jungjong moves his palace about in an attempt to flee a monster. As a veteran of sageuk comedies (the Detective K films), perhaps Kim’s experience will lend itself to Hyeri’s advantage. She’s positively considering the role, and Kim Min-seok (Defendant) has also received an offer to play a character opposite her. Filming on Water Monster will begin before mid-year. [Asia E, News 1]
• Voice had a mid-show director swap, and now comes the news that OCN’s upcoming drama Tunnel has replaced PD Kim Kyung-chul (who was present during readings and had directed first shoots) with PD Shin Yong-hwi. Vixx’s N has also bowed out after negotiations, and I’m hoping the comeback vehicle for Choi Jin-hyuk (Pride and Prejudice) will be able to overcome its rocky start. The OCN drama about a detective in the ’80s (Choi) who time-slips to 2016 while on the hunt for a serial killer will premiere on March 25. [DongA, Joongang]


Lee Sung-min, Shin Ha-kyun, Song Ji-hyo, Lee El

• After a director switch, Baram Baram Baram is back in production. Lee Byung-heon (of Twenty) has signed on to helm, and Lee Sung-min (Memory) and Shin Ha-kyun (Pied Piper) will play in-laws. Lee’s a Jeju Island Casanova who’s having difficulty coping with aging, while Shin’s a man who used to dream of becoming a top chef but is now just a pathetic husband. Song Ji-hyo (This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair) has been cast as Lee’s little sister and Shin’s wife, while Lee El (Goblin) will play Shin’s late-life fling who shows him a whole new world. The comedy about four men and women dreaming of escape will begin filming March 13. [Star News]
• He’s currently busy filming Perfect Wife, but Yoon Sang-hyun will cameo in the eighth episode of Strong Woman Do Bong-soon to support his Ms. Temper and Nam Jung-ki PD Lee Hyung-min. [Osen]


Yoon Sang-hyun, Kim Joo-hyun, Yang Jin-sung

• Jo Boa (The Man Living in Our House) has turned down the lead in writer Kim Soon-ok’s (My Daughter Kim Sa-wol) latest, and in her stead, Kim Joo-hyun (Modern Farmer) has been cast as the beauty school grad and entrepreneur in Sister Is Alive. This’ll be Kim’s first leading role—she won the open audition to star in the reboot of My Sassy Girl before SBS got cold feet and gave the role to Oh Yeon-seo, so perhaps this is the station’s olive branch. She’ll star opposite Lee Ji-hoon (Legend of the Blue Sea), and the weekend drama will premiere in April on SBS. [DongA]
• Yang Jin-sung (Secret, Bride of the Century) has been cast as a quirky character in the fantasy rom-com Chicago Typewriter, which has confirmed Yoo Ah-in (Six Flying Dragons), Im Soo-jung (Time Renegades) and Go Kyung-pyo (Jealousy Incarnate) as three individuals linked by a mysterious old typewriter. Yang’s a childhood friend of Im and the daughter of a shaman. She’s also a modern-day ghost whisperer who’s in love with a ghost, and she’s studying to beome a writer. The drama will take over the slot vacated by Tomorrow With You on tvN in April. [Joongang]

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