30

Jo Hyun-jae joins Four Men as villainous brother

It looks like Jo Hyun-jae (Yong-pal) will be playing the villain once again. He’s joined the cast of Park Hae-jin’s (Man to Man) upcoming multiple-identity action-thriller Four Men. The new SBS drama is about one man’s journey as he tries to find what drives human hopes, and finds mystery and romance along his way. The main female character is a violent crimes police investigator who lost her lover, and by fate meets someone with the same face.

Park Hae-jin has been confirmed to play the male leads (four of them, as the title suggests), and Nana (The Good Wife) will be the heroine. Kwak Shi-yang (Chicago Typewriter) has also joined the cast as an elite police officer who will be Nana’s sunbae, and Kyung Su-jin (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju) will play a reporter who is Nana’s best friend.

The role Jo Hyun-jae has been offered is the elder brother of one of Park Hae-jin’s four identities. It was initially reported that Eom Ki-joon would play that role, but it went to Jo Hyun-jae in the end. The character is an overseas-educated chaebol heir with an ambitious drive and determination. He’s selfish to the core, possessing a strong desire to trample and win over his younger brother. (Oh so exactly like his previous role in Yong-pal.) When he learns Park Hae-jin’s secret, he uses it to secure his place in the company succession line.

Action thriller mystery romance drama Four Men is expected to air at the beginning of next year on SBS.

Via Xports News

RELATED POSTS

Tags: ,

30

Required fields are marked *

The cast is getting better at each addition! I've been feeling a lack of enjoyable dramas lately, hopefully this one will make up for it. Please don't disappoint me T_T

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

He was my favorite thing about Yong Pal.. and he was awesome in 49 Days... this announcement solidly put Four Men on my radar. Looking forward to seeing him on the small screen again!

4
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

JHJ was terrific with Seo Hyun-jin in THE KING'S DAUGHTER, SU BAEK HYANG... as Crown Prince MyongNong in my gateway sageuk. What an OTP. He is absolutely regal.

I loved 49 DAYS, too. (Scheduler stole the show!) He was also very good in LOVE LETTER, DAEMANG / GREAT AMBITION, and BALLAD OF THE PRINCE. It was a blast hearing him sing "Ijen Annyeong" in THREE DADS AND ONE MOM. (Maybe not the best rom-com, but entertaining, with a lot of heart. Cartoonist Jae-hee looked like a living anime.)

The main baddies in MAN TO MAN were hard to take seriously. With JHJ as the resident villain, I think FOUR MEN will work out better. For a extra dash of meta, Yang Se-jong could cameo in a spoof his 4-part clone role from DUEL. It would be epic. ;-)

4
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

I watched Only You years ago, the story went back and forth and back and forth and it was okay because I liked him and thought he was so cute. He broke my heart in 49 Days.

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the hot tip on ONLY YOU. It's sometimes hard to find early 2000s dramas at all, let alone with decent subtitles -- but I managed to find this one. ;-)

I recently watched LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and was surprised to realize that Nam Gyu-ri had been in 49 DAYS, too. Such radically different roles. She was incredibly cute in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. ;-)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Scheduler stole the show and my heart!! To this day, no show has made me cry the way their storyline made me cry.

Ooo I have not seen The King's Daughter, but SHJ and JHJ on one screen? I may have to check this one out.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

@coolbeans,

"Scheduler stole the show and my heart!!...
Ooo I have not seen The King's Daughter, but SHJ and JHJ on one screen?..."

Same here! Scheduler's story busted my heart into smithereens... and put Jung Il-woo on my radar. If you haven't seen MOON RIVER / THE RETURN OF ILJIMAE, you're missing out. ;-)

SHJ and JHJ, my archetypal crown prince, are terrific together. Their chemistry is warm and lovely. The regulation sageuk smooches are tender and heartfelt. Truly, the bestowal of the spy's tapir tattoo was more intense and intimate than many a kiss... Seolnan and Myongnong are one OTP who looks great in armor while fighting with swords. Hot damn! IIRC, the last time I encountered such a couple was in KINGDOM OF THE WINDS.

The cast is huge, with many excellent actors portraying a host of minor characters whose presence and interludes contribute enormously to the slice of everyday life in the Three Kingdoms era. Yoon Tae-young is fabulous as Seolnan's deaf-mute step-dad, Kuchon. Lee Jae-ryong is the epitome of a career soldier and servant-king who truly cares for his people. Kim Roe-ha (VOICE) and Kim Min-kyo (SNL KOREA) portray the inept highwaymen who become Seolnan's brothers-in-arms in the Baekje secret service. Yeo Ui-joo (TWO WEEKS; MISAENG; SHINE OR GO CRAZY; SCHOLAR WHO WALKS THE NIGHT) is quietly hilarious as prissy Crown Prince Myongnong's faithful and infinitely patient bodyguard, Kang-bok. Choi Ro-woon steals every scene he's in as the little orphan adopted by Kuchon. Kim Young-jae portrays the paranoid King Sunimun of neighboring Gaya who faces off against Myongnong and his father.

The furnishings, buildings, clothing, food, and farming and domestic chores realistically depict daily life, and ground the story in reality. Another thing I appreciate very much is the depiction of spiritual practices (full prostrations in the temple, fingering malas, incense offerings in the royal ancestral shrine, earnest prayer by the light of the moon).

EMPRESS KI was airing at the same time, and KDSBH did not have such sumptuous sets and costumes. The cinematography, however, is gorgeous, and the rural locations stunning. There's a lot of running and hiding in the mountains, and travel on foot across breathtaking vistas. The show ran for about 6 months, and the change of seasons is glorious. The scenes shot in falling snow are incredibly beautiful.

Owing to preemptions during the Sochi Olympics and the year-end awards shows, 12 episodes were cut, which made for a somewhat rushed ending.

The OST (on my fan wall) is not extensive, but it is beautiful, and the show's instrumental music is uplifting. Writer-nim Hwang Jin-Young incorporated the lyrics of the oldest extant Korean song from the Three Kingdoms era, IIRC. SHJ sings one of the tracks in her gorgeous, clear voice. Now that I think of it, it's too bad JHJ couldn't have contributed a track, too.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for this great news, tineybeanie!

And after FOUR MEN, could JHJ please play a sageuk villain? Pretty please, Drama Gods?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

So, are they still touting this as Man to Man's prequel? I'm ready for this show to be its own thing. SBS has a trend of starting shows out great and then going belly-up towards the middle lately. Happened with Suspicious Partner and it's happening with Reunited Worlds. Hoping with every thing I have that this is a great show.

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Looking forward to seeing Jo Hyun-jae in this drama! The role sounds very similar to one in Yongpal. I loved him in it so I do not mind. Hopefully his role will be deliciously layered and sympathetic in this show.

3
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Action thriller mystery romance drama" lol. Something for everyone. Not that I'm complaining.

3
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I got out of breath reading that line ?

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

But I'm gonna miss Dark Death. :-(

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Love him in 49 days and yongpal!

3
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The plot takes shape now; and I'm stoked! I hope for PHJ's sake this slays better than MxM.

1
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

awwww... i really loved MxM!

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Me too. Although I understand why some might not like it. It had it's flaws *cough* the villains *cough*, but Seol-woo's journey to finding a family was very heartwarming.

3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Auch it seems like Jo Hyun-jae has been relegated to second lead and not so good news for me. However I loved him as a villain in Yong-pal, so looking forward to see him once again. He gonna be a handsome and hot villain though. I wasn't that much interested before, while I love Park Hae-jin, I wasn't able to finish MXM so it really depends on his work.. Now with Jo Hyun-jae added, my anticipation is rising!

2
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'll keep my fingers crossed that JHJ is getting back into circulation rather than being banished to Second Lead Land. I'm thrilled to pieces that he's coming back to Kdramaland.

JHJ delivered the goods in THE KING'S DAUGHTER as the crown prince. He'll provide high octane villainous oomph to FOUR MEN. It'll be fun to see him locking horns with the future Agent K. ;-)

It'd be a blast if JHJ appeared on KING OF MASKED SINGER. He's got a terrific singing voice. I had hoped that he would have cameo'd on THE BEST HIT owing to his boy band career back in the day.

Hwaiting, JHJ!!!

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I loved him in Kings Daughter just a bit lesser than Seo Hyun-jin (it is because I love SHJ way too much) lol. Wish to see him in another sageuk in the future.

Next project- maybe he should be a psycopath killer in any OCN drama. I think at his age, he doesn't want to play good guys anymore / for a while and want to try different roles, which is a good change.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

From his interviews after Yongpal, he said that choosing a villain role was a deliberate decision on his part. He still receives offers for lead roles, but they are basically the same roles he has done in the past. He also said that he became lead actor very early in his career (I think he only had 2 dramas and 1 movie when he became lead actor) that he felt he never really developed into the actor he wanted to become. His management at that time didn't allow him to step out of his good guy roles. He also said that there were instances when he signed up for a bad guy role, but the script will be changed a few episodes later to make him the good guy. He found that very frustrating.
Now he has more say about the direction of his career, he is deliberately choosing roles that would help him grow as an actor.

6
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Aww if that's the truth from his heart I think it makes me like him even more! I really liked him in Yong Pal since I think he made one of the best villains ever! Though my heart broke many times for my dear lovely Kim Tae Hee, I felt terrible when he was killed when he was on a run. Having him as an evil, male lead's brother, I'm two time more interested in the show.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi, Prissymom!

It's so good to see you again after all those months of earnest discussion on the KDSBH forum at soompi. ;-)

Thanks for the JHJ info. It does indeed sound very frustrating to be thwarted into remaining typecast as a goody two-shoes. Here's hoping JHJ's upcoming role succeeds in driving a stake through Andrea's heart.

Kim Jae-wook's sociopathic serial killer role in VOICE was a far cry from his COFFEE PRINCE DAYS. I managed to watch until the end, but the degree of violence and bloodshed was really too depressing and distressing for me. It's not something I'd care to repeat as a viewer. (It sure looked as if KJW was having fun.)

There are other kinds of flawed characters that would be worth exploring. Kim Young-kwang was terrific and clearly had a blast playing the anti-hero prosecutor bent on revenge in LOOKOUT. He was up against a father-and-son pair of murderous sociopaths, plus an array of crooked cops and corrupt officials.

2017 has been the year of Yeonsangun, with Kim Ji-suk portraying the tyrant with a sympathetic interpretation in REBEL: THIEF WHO STOLE THE PEOPLE. He was magnificent. And he wasn't alone. Choonwongoong and his toadies, the Neo-confucian fanatic Song Sabu, and Nobleman Jo and his wife were among the major baddies.

Lee Dong-Gun gave yet another nuanced interpretation of Yeonsangun, and was stunning in SEVEN DAY QUEEN. There were plenty of other villains in that production as well.

Here's hoping that this is the first in a series of edifying roles for JHJ. He wouldn't have to resort to being an axe murderer. A seriously flawed character like Dae-gil in CHUNO might do nicely.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oooh this sounds like an interesting cast! I was happy to see him cameo in Hospital Ship and now even happier that he will be coming back with a new role~

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I haven't seen HOSPITAL SHIP yet, but am looking forward to JHJ's cameo. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. ;-)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oppa and Kang-ah in the same show...*swoons*

1
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I hope we don't end up going anaerobic. Ooo, the oxygen masks just deployed. ;-)

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

The drama synopsis has changed significantly from what I initially remember. I like Park Hae Jin but Man to Man ended not with a bang but a whimper. Stakes that were supposed to be high, never delivered in terms of intensity and problems solved themselves just as easily as they rose. So, here's hoping this script is better, tighter and they don't give us the same half baked plot lines.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

god damn i really wish hae jin wasn't the lead bc i love everything else about this drama (although im a bit tired with the multiple personality bit)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

this is some kinda bonus for me coz i've been a fan of both PHJ and JHJ! i can't wait and i hope Nana will have a good chem with PHJ since in MTM the leading lady was not a good pair for park hae jin i almost stopped watching the drama! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *