News bites: September 6, 2015

by awcoconuts

Kim Hee-sun

• Kim Hee-sun (Angry Mom) will guest appear in Chinese fantasy sageuk drama L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, which is being produced concurrently with the eponymous big-budget film by writer/director Guo Jingming. The motion-capture animated movie version has already cast such stars as Fan Bingbing and Kris Wu, and the drama version is also searching for top talent before it begins filming in a few weeks. In the TV adaptation, Kim will play a goddess with the highest authority and a character crucial for plot progression. Expect some snazzy special effects, as the computer graphics team for the Lord of the Rings films will have a hand in the production of the drama. [TV Report]
• MBC’s drama special Splish Splash Love (or Pong-dang Pong-dang Love) has cast Yoon Doo-joon (Let’s Eat series) as its lead, Yi Do of Joseon, the future King Sejong the Great. It’s a fantasy coming-of-age sageuk romance about the workaholic (but surprisingly heodang) king and the third-year high school girl he falls for, and it will air in October. [Osen]


Yoon Doo-joon, Yoon So-hee

• Yoon So-hee (Beloved Eun-dong, Secret Door) is joining Risking Life For Love, the Chinese-Korean film starring Ha Ji-won and Chen Bolin. While not much is known about her role (she’s been cast as a character named Yoo-mi), another aspect of the plot has been revealed: It’s a thriller/rom-com about a serial killer. The movie begins filming before the end of the year. [Joy News24]
• PD Pyo Min-soo (The Producers, Ho-gu’s Love) is prepping for the production of a new Chinese-Korean drama titled Romantic Star. He’s been tapped to helm the story of a tumultuous romance between a man who loves astronomy and a woman obsessed with astrology, and the rom-com will be written by novelist Shin Ah-in. [Xports News]


Kim Jae-wook, Park Gyu-ri, Lee Mi-do

• He of the magnificent cheekbones, Kim Jae-wook (Age of Feeling), will lead a new web drama called Sweet, and it will also star Park Gyu-ri (of Kara, Nail Shop Paris) and Lee Mi-do (Unkind Women). Kim’s the new manager of Sweet Coffee cafe and he’s got a negative and frosty personality. He’s a terrible manager who doesn’t even know how to brew a cup of coffee, but that’s because he’s hiding his true identity. An elite NIS agent who’s served for the past three years in Berlin, he’s now working undercover at the coffee shop while working on anti-espionage matters. Park is a part-time employee at the cafe, and her personality is the complete opposite of Kim’s. She’s exceedingly positive and genuinely interested in all of the cafe’s patrons. She seems like a busybody but she’s actually very affectionate and warm. Lee is a regular customer and writer; she’ll often order one cup of coffee and sit and write all day long. She’s also a pessimist with a sour disposition but she’ll be known for her occasional outbursts of laughter. Sweet airs in mid-October. [Joy News 24]


Kim Ki-bum, Miss Granny

• Former SuJu member Kim Ki-bum (I Love Lee Tae-ri) is reappearing in front of Korean viewers with the web drama Cursed Romance. He’ll play a local news reporter who transitions to entertainment news, and this will be his first project following the expiration of his contract with SM Entertainment. The web drama has also cast Kim Hyung-jong (Faith) and Kwak Ji-min (Pride and Prejudice) and will last for ten episodes. Filming begins next month. [Star News]
• The Chinese version of the popular film Miss Granny is being adapted for the small screen in China. Twenty Once Again was a hit and set records for a Chinese-Korean film when it was released early this year (it made over 55 million USD), and now it is being turned into a 40-episode drama. CJ Entertainment has confirmed the sale of the publication rights and while the principle story won’t change, many of the supporting roles will be tweaked. [TV Report]

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