we really liked lee min ho in "i am sam" - i've no doubt he'll be able to do the role. and he's got the physical characteristics of kamio yoko's original, which matsujun, excellent as he was, didn't have (apart from the hair, of course).

oh, the casting is intresting, they were all youngsters and they're all hotties.. so excited, now finally they can start filming the drama so i can watch this next year..i hope its going to be as good as the japanese.. oh, and whos' gonna be playing tsukushi oh i hope its going to be Go Ara, because she's young and fits the role pretty well.so excited!!!

I love Kim Bum.
Man, I thought he was a rather weak actor (high Kick!) but East of Eden really showed his skillsss.

But Lee Min-ho is young but his face is so like...structured that he looks older.
At least 25.
:I
we'll see when the drama comes out.

but yeah-who is makino?
I just hope they dont choose someone who overacts.
like in Hong Gil Dong-sorry, didnt like the girl.
...yeah

wasn't lee min ho in i am sam? he played the pretty boy?!?

hmmm i haven't seen any of LMH's work but it sounds promising that he has some dramas/movies under his belt...

i think KHJ would be ok as Rui... he kinda has that instant crush factor (after all Makino had a crush on Rui FIRST rather than Domyouji in the beginning)... but then again its only based on what I've seem from him in WGM...

Kim Bum will do great as Soujiro.... I think its a safe move for him -- i mean he's the better actors amongst the four (from what i've seen), but this is a trendy drama... if it creates a massive following then its a great boost for his popularity... but if he was cast as Domyouji, had to carry the whole series, and it doesn't turn out so good... well not good for his "budding" acting career.

Hmmm, better not Go Ara as Makino... she still has a long way to go in terms of acting... she has the face, but the spunkiness? iono.

overall... exciting cast as F4! they look pretty good as a group :D

i dont know if i'll watch it
but kim bum <3 <3
i didn't know Go Ara was going to be playing the role of the main character (i can't even rmb her name now..)
for some reason i want YEH to do it, but..perhaps not?

yay for kim hyun joong!!!

ah was kinda hoping for TOP (big bang) to be casted... *sigh* oh well..

thanks for the news, javabeans! ^^

@dramabeans,

"I could deal with Park Min-young, but I couldn’t put up with Go Ara. She’s pretty to look at, but she hasn’t yet learned to emote — most of her emotions are on a very constant level, halfway between bland and medium-bland"

That's indeed the key problem here. We can assume that Group Eight wants to avoid their Goong S mistake of casting TWO inexperienced actors. One of them has to actually lead, and this is even more difficult in K-drama than J-drama because a lot of what you have to do won't be conveyed in the script or by the director. Because of the casting (and again this wouldn't be an issue with Kim Bum were the lead), the actress will probably have the responsibility for carrying the M&D scenes. SHE will have to sell Tsukasa to us.

I just can't believe Kim Bum isn't going to be Tsukasa. East of Eden's just made me totally rethink him as an actor. If he were him, I could actually see this HanaDan being GREAT, like something that could appeal to both the teenage set and the diehard Hanadan audience.

I just finished hana yori dangi Final, and I’m sure nobody can reach Matsumoto acting .. and Inoue Mao too. They even look like real couple …hontoni kawaii

This cast makes no sense. Kim Bum should take a bigger role than that. KHJ shouldn't be in the cast.

Yeah same feelings here javabeans. I'm hoping the rumor isn't true. I would choose Park Min Young over Ara too.

I literally squealed with delight when i found out that Kim Bum was going to be in this. However I am much more curious as to who the female Makino is going to be, as saryKIM said before, the story mainly revolves around her, so they need someone who is a strong actress. I don't want Go Ara casted either cause she seems that she would overact most of the time.

OMG KIM BUM! YES YES YES YES YES!! THIS SHOW IS A WHOLE LOT BETTER WITH HIM!!! :D

when i saw his pic i was ecstatic 'cause i thought kim bum was going to be either tsukasa or rui
not very happy now i've finished reading the article... =/
the tsukasa boy looks hot but kim hyun joong as rui?????

i wanna be super excited about this
but the recent events of CJS passing away
has me sorta in shock.

im happy for Kim Bum and Hyun Joong.
i want a juicier acting part for Kim Bum after EoE
but he doesnt exactly have the Tsukasa mean look i think.
Well, Lee Min Ho doesnt seem that way as well.
I hope he can carry the role, its a lot of acting.
Hyun Joong i know people dont know if he can act.
But im hoping since he is musically inclined he can do that part of Rui.
HE really looks like Rui too i think.
No idea about Kim Joon never heard of the guy.
But good things Akira role's doesnt require too much.
Hmm too bad about SEK...
I dont want to see Ara though.
But i have this sinking feeling it might.

"Perhaps, but I think that may be selling Lee Min-ho a little short. Not positive on that, but I’m willing to have a little faith in him."

Yeah, that's fair. But that's the catch-22. If Lee Min-ho can properly lead, then I'd be fine with just about any starlet in the Makino role. Go Ara, Park Min Ji, Nam Gyuri, Yoobin, Shim Eun-Kyung, Da-bin, the Olson Twins, etc.

"And I was just thinking it’s too bad Shim Eun-kyung (the kid from Hwang Jini and Legend) isn’t older, ’cause if she was 18 or even 17 (instead of 14) she could be adorably spunky."

Oh I adore Shim Eun-kyung! She plays a much darker character in Women in the Sun actually. I think she and Eun Won Jae are future stars.

"Hm, Kim Bum is a little younger than the others; perhaps Lee Min-ho’s extra few years gives him a little more presence as the team leader?"

See, what I loved about Kim Bum's performance in East of Eden is that he did a wonderful job leading and pacing the individual scenes between his brother and his homeboys. Now, I'm sure he got a lot of direction, but even so, he did an excellent job setting the tone of the dialogue and building the mutual tension in each exchange. He might have overacted in some bits (though, again, the all-around screaming sees commanded by the director), but I can't emphasize enough how impressed I was with Kim Bum here.

Like, I'm watching You Are My Destiny now, and the main male lead there consistently disappears in his scenes. He's reactive to a fault -- like he says a line and then WAITS for the other partner to decide how to play it -- and you actually feel like the other actors are trying to carry him along in their scenes. He's trying so hard to convey conflicted emotions that he almost retreats from the other actors. It's weird. And then then you see Yoona trying to overcompensate in some scenes, because she herself doesn't have a lot of experience and she's not getting sufficient responses from the actor. The rhythm is just off.

Well, I found some info on Kim Joon from shenyue pop. Link here:

http://shenyuepop.com/2007/08/05/t-max-and-their-maximum-smiles/

Ooh, Shim Eun Kyung would indeed make a good Makino if she were older.
I really hope they do get a good enough actress to act as Makino, considering she plays the most impt role (imo) in the show.
And KIM BUM!! I also hope they put more weight on his character, considering his and that other guy's roles are more of supporting characters in the original story.

man. i can't get that all excited due to the previous news..

anyway..
when i saw the word F4 and kim bum's face,
i either thought that he was casted as tsukasa or rui.
well, more on rui. hihi.
so i'm disappointed to find out that he was neither :p

the guy casted for rui DOES fit rui's image..
but.. but.. i want more kim bum action going on :p
i mean, he gives off this aura that he's mysterious yet approachable and good than "playboy type material" aura.
then again, he IS a good actor, so he might pull it off,
or he might do a different portrayal of soujiro.
hopefully this F4 casting will work out somehow.

oh yeah, any news on who's makino?

although i'm not exactly attracted to Lee Min Ho's appearance,
his role in Public Enemy Returns (the screenplay is by Jang Jin...hilarious despite the serious subject, as are most of his movies--I highly recommend!!!) is intense and tragic despite the short screen time.
he plays the "Jjang" or lead gang member at a high school. i could see him as the F4's lead, although he isn't as pretty as i had imagined doumyouji to be.

i wonder how i'll enjoy this drama considering i have no expectations from reading the original manga (it was a manga first, right?) or from watching the chinese or japanese versions of this :D

lee min ho's role in Public Enemy Returns is probably one of the reasons he was cast as doumyouji. check it out (i sound like a spam post)!!!

Disappointed...

Lee Min Ho might grow on me if he acts well, but right now, he's just not for very "Tsukasa". -_- Too nice, maybe? Both the actress and Lee Min Ho's going to have to go all out to sell Tsukasa.

I can see why Kim Hyun Joong got cast. He fits Hanazawa Rui to the T. Now... we'll see if he knows how to act. I'm not closing my mind yet, especially when the Jdrama proved me wrong on all counts, but darn it if it isn't doesn't make you anxious guessing.

As for the other guys, I'm less worried because they don't have very large of a role. But I do hope their roles are amped up because the actors look capable and there's some material to work with... I believe Akira has a hidden crush on Makino in the manga and Soujirou's ex-girlfriend thing might be very good if brought out more. The ending of that particular mini-plot was pretty realistic, actually... If the Korean HYD adapts these parts, it'll bring something new to the table not in the Jdrama (not sure about Meteor Garden, didn't watch that).

Now, waiting word for the actress only. If they used a new actress, she better be on par with the likes of Inoue Mao. And if it's a well-known one... please. Someone that can act. I don't want to be there cursing at Makino because of the actress.