Lee Yubi offered leading role in School 2015

57 March 16, 2015March 16, 2015

by girlfriday

Ooh, Lee Yubi for School 2015? I do love how this franchise casts. The newest installment of the School franchise has been bumped up on KBS’s roster for a late-April premiere, and casting is at last underway. First up to star is Lee Yubi, a rising young actress who’s been making a mark with lovable secondary characters over the last few years — Pinocchio, Gu Family Book, Nice Guy — and is in need of a leading role, stat.

The series that began in the ’90s and had a revival in 2013 focuses on social issues plaguing teens, with an earnest touch and a fresh-faced cast. This year, the drama’s full title will be Who Are You–School 2015, and will add a flair of mystery to the usual slice-of-life show about kids in high school. I don’t think I’ll mind a little genre-mixing, as long as the drama remains realistic — that’s sort of the crux of School’s appeal, and if it stopped being soul-crushingly real, it’d be too fluffy and stop being School.

The story will be about an It Girl who goes missing one day, and then suddenly returns with no memory. Lee Yubi is considering an offer to play a different student — one who once ruled her school in a different town, then transfers to a high school in Gangnam and becomes a bullied nobody. Then one day she suddenly becomes the most popular girl in school, and I’m guessing that all of this has something to do with that missing It Girl. I can’t tell from the description which of the two girls will be the lead, but if it’s anything like Lee Jong-seok and Kim Woo-bin in School 2013, they’ll be sharing the spotlight. How great will it be if it’s about two girls’ friendship this year?

I’m excited because I love the School series and Lee Yubi is going to be adorable in it. But it DOES make me a little crazy that they didn’t cast her in School 2013 with Kim Woo-bin like they should have (Why with the star-crossed timing, universe? WHY?), because I think Lee Yubi and Kim Woo-bin should just be in all of each other’s dramas, always. I guess I’ll settle for a cameo. Get on that, KBS.

Who Are You–School 2015 follows Blood on Mondays and Tuesdays beginning April 27.

Via Osen

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Tags: Lee Yubi, School 2013, sequels

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1 pigsnout

March 16, 2015 at 3:06 AM

So the drama is about the other girl and not Lee Yubi's character? I hope this truly has two leads and she's not in supporting again :( I want her to have a lead role, please T__T

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2 mary

March 16, 2015 at 3:18 AM

Loving all updates on this from Yubi's casting to that intriguing bully-to-bullied-to-ItGirl storyline. And the potential for womance-centric plot is :D

If we're making comparisons though, doesn't that make her the Lee Jong Seok of School2015? Bullied ex-jjang turned everyone's favorite.

And the other girl popping up and threatening to upend Yubi's barely recovered normal school life, that makes other girl the Woobin. Now who to cast for that? *slides over Im Joo Eun's resume to casting PD*

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pigsnout

March 16, 2015 at 3:50 AM

Im Joo Eun doesn't look like a high school girl any more. She should get lead roles as adults!

For the student role I want someone like Jo BoAh or Yoon So Hee or Kim Ji Won for the other girl. No idols please!

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mary

March 16, 2015 at 6:16 AM

I still see her as a cute girl though. Something about her small face? She reminds me of a pixie. ^___^

Jo Boa is currently in Missing Noir M.

I did think about Jiwon but feel she's too big a star for School already...

Ah, I just thought of Kim So-eun. Not sure if she has a drama right now. I'd prefer she do Liar Game Season 2 instead. Hehe.

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mary

March 16, 2015 at 6:21 AM

Whelp I just checked their filmography. Im Joo-eun has more projects than Jiwon and Jiwon is also younger.

For some reason I felt that Jiwon is in a higher "tier" already because all the shows I know where she has a role Heirs/What's Up/Gapdong/High Kick, she always stood out for me.

She'll do then.

It'd be awesome if the character is like Kim Myung Min in a New Leaf. The new self is jarringly nicer. And everyone is confused because her original It Girl self was like Regina George. XD

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 7:50 AM

mary - Kim Ji-won is never given enough credit for her talent, either in terms of prestige, screen time (Gap-dong had her at a distant second lead) or even acknowledgement (the d-addicts wiki entry for Heirs lists Krystal in the usual place for second lead, not her! She gave that cracker of a performance as Yoo Rachel and still got cheated....)

I just hope the rest of the cast is good. Especially the other female lead they choose.

mary

March 16, 2015 at 11:21 AM

@pogo, IKR?! I follow the woobin's eyebrows account on twitter. She always talks about Jiwon so maybe that's why I think the girl is already in the spotlight.

I keep forgetting her only lead is in What's Up and it's not even a major network drama. I think she'll make a good ex-Queen Bee turned wide-eyed clueless amnesiac.

I hope they cast her...

pigsnout

March 17, 2015 at 1:25 AM

@mary of course she has dedicated fans but only basing your impression on one fan twitter is misleading, no? A fan will obviously talk about her bias a lot. It doesn't mean that Korean public and PDs or writers think of her the same way we do. I mean, if there was a Suzy fan twitter that keeps saying she a great and talented actress and everyone in Korea thinks so, you would not believe that right?

mary

March 17, 2015 at 2:16 AM

@pigsnout, of course it's misleading. That's why I even checked their filmography and explained why I got the wrong impression.

Why do you seem so mad?

I'm trying to stay positive but it seems you're being extra antagonistic when I took the effort to point out my own mistakes, explain why I made a mistake, and reflected on Jiwon's casting choice and was even talking to pogo about how I can now see Jiwon doing great in this role.

pigsnout

March 17, 2015 at 8:16 AM

@mary - I think you misunderstood me, why do you think I am antagonistic? I like Kim Ji Won too but all I mean was to say that the way the public sees her might not be the same as the way he fans see her, even when we like her so much here.

yayaya

March 16, 2015 at 6:24 AM

Actually Kim So Eun is currently preparing a Korean-Chinese movie project with Aaron Yan. Missing her, though. She and Yubi would definitely be yummy.

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mary

March 16, 2015 at 6:39 AM

Dang I forgot about that Aaron Yan collab.... so no Liar Game 2 in near future then. :(

kanz

March 16, 2015 at 6:52 AM

She can be their teacher then... In Heirs she was also HS teacher

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3 kanz

March 16, 2015 at 3:19 AM

On other site, I read CNBLUE's Yonghwa is the male lead.. For all my love for CNBLUE and God's sake, please not him, he doesn't look like highschooler anymore...
And if the producers need some idols, give it to Kang Minhyuk (at least he's baby-faced) or D.O Kyungsoo.

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coby

March 16, 2015 at 3:52 AM

No! I love CNBLUE to death... but no please!

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LJH

March 16, 2015 at 5:46 AM

If there is a CNBlue guys then all my vote goes to Minhyuk too. He has a baby face and does cute really well. Out of the 4 I always think that he's the better actor from the start. As much as I love CNBlue, please no Yonghwa. YH is great for action/comical dramas like The Three Musketeers. He was so good in it and that show really fleshes out his character. We have already seen YH play the high school role in HeartStrings and he isn't very convincing in it. We have seen Minhyuk in both Heartstrings and Heirs and that guy is really good at high school roles. Just my opinion really...

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jongyu

March 16, 2015 at 6:27 AM

There's always the misconception that the backdrop of Heartstrings was high school. But they were, in fact, college students.

I agree though, if I had to choose one of the CNBLUE boys, I'd choose Minhyuk. He looks younger than all of them, imo.

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eunchans

March 16, 2015 at 8:18 AM

Oh god no. I love Yonghwa as a musician, but he needs to stop acting.

I think KBS might go with an idol for one of the male leads. Hyungsik might be a possibility; he's a KBS darling now bc of What's With This Family. I wouldn't mind him bc I think he has potential. :').

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Pinocchio_lover

March 16, 2015 at 10:28 AM

Im Siwan is another possibility too, he's a great actor imo.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 11:19 AM

Probably too big a star for School by now, honestly.

Though I would love to see him paired with Lee Yubi in something else.

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Aliya

March 16, 2015 at 9:18 AM

Omg please don't let yonghwa be the lead. I love him but not really as an actor..

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haneih

March 18, 2015 at 11:14 PM

No.I love him but he is not good for this. minhyuk is bether choice because of his lovely baby face & cute acting

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4 redfox

March 16, 2015 at 3:21 AM

I am all for girls being in the center! more spotlight on girls and women!

oh, but who will be the teachers? can we have some guest lecturers from other channels´ recent dramas too? *khmm - Oh Ri On? - Khmm*

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5 min

March 16, 2015 at 3:41 AM

If they need idols, I want Park Hyung Sik to join the cast.

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coby

March 16, 2015 at 3:53 AM

Yes! Cha Dal-bong!

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achiara

March 16, 2015 at 7:46 AM

I second this. I really like Hyung Shik and how he's doing little roles here and there actually learning the job and improving his acting slowly but surely. School would be the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself and boost his career

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eunchans

March 16, 2015 at 8:19 AM

Lol you beat me to it!! I think Hyungsik would be a good choice if we have to have idols.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 10:18 AM

I agree with this. I have nothing against idols getting cast as long as they can act (like Hyoyoung in School 2013).

And Park Hyung Shik has more than proven that he can act, if Nine and Sirius are anything to go by.

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6 jheart

March 16, 2015 at 3:49 AM

The truth is that she has been casted as lead in School 2013 however she unfortunatedly rejected the offer due to her current filming schedule for Nice Guy ( later Park Se Young got casted). It is a bit pity that she missed a chance to step up from second lead to first lead status.
After 2 years they cast her again for School 2015 and it seems like a more meaty role which sound great. She could pull it off well.
hoping for the confirmation comes soon

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pigsnout

March 16, 2015 at 3:53 AM

She at least acted like a professional and committed properly to Nice Guy by saying no to School 2013. That's honorable behavior. And anyway Park Se Young's role got reduced a lot when the drama removed the lovelines so LYB didn't lose out much.

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eunchans

March 16, 2015 at 8:21 AM

Yeah tbh Park Se Young was totally sidelined in School 2013. She was the female lead but barely had any screen time.

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paroles

March 16, 2015 at 10:04 AM

Tbh, everyone seems to forget that in School 2013 the leads were Jang Nara and Choi Daniel.

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Stuart

March 17, 2015 at 2:31 AM

Not "everyone" :) - I was wondering what weird alternate version of School 2013 these people were going on about, since the one I saw definitely had JNR and Choi Daniel as the leads

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 17, 2015 at 8:09 AM

Stuart - I know, right?! Just because she didn't have a love line it doesn't mean JNR isn't the female lead of School 2013!

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 10:21 AM

honestly I thought she was ok but wasn't super enthused by the prospect of the obligatory love line between her and Lee Jong-seok. It felt like it was there just for the sake of being there, really.

The drama did the right thing by ditching that and turning the focus on Kim Woo-bin instead (the chemistry alone, whoa), but I might have felt differently about that character if Lee Yubi had taken the role as originally planned.

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7 Ramma

March 16, 2015 at 4:42 AM

Ohhhhhhh Kwang Soo Girlfriend

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8 ellenelle

March 16, 2015 at 4:44 AM

Yay! I'm all for a girl lead this time around, and I'm more than happy they're not thinking of reproducing the bromance thing of 2013. Once is okay, but twice is not. If they're not up for a loveline, at least they can give us a sister-mance. We don't see these ones often.

This one looks interesting. I hope they don't bump her to secondary role at the last minute!

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fab

March 16, 2015 at 5:44 AM

Yay for a sistermance! I'm so down for this casting, they better have LY as the lead or at least share the lead role with another good actress.

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9 daydreamer11

March 16, 2015 at 4:57 AM

Kim Ji Won for the other girl role please ;______;

I really hope the casting for the show would continue to be solid so that KBS could compensate the audience for what it's been lacking at that time slot

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jiwon-nim

March 16, 2015 at 9:14 AM

oh yes please.. I need to see jiwon in a drama.

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10 crazedlu

March 16, 2015 at 5:16 AM

Pleeeease make this happen! And I hope they cast well for the dude roles too!

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11 derp

March 16, 2015 at 6:19 AM

lee min ho 1993 for male lead please!

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maldita

March 17, 2015 at 11:17 AM

YES! I'd love to see 93 Lee Minho in more projects. This would be perfect for him!

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12 jongyu

March 16, 2015 at 6:39 AM

Really happy with this news! She's so charming as an actress, definitely talented. I'm hoping more good casting news follows! And hell yes, to a female-centric drama.

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13 stars4u

March 16, 2015 at 7:37 AM

Kim Woo-bin and Lee Yubi are adorable together!!!!

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14 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 7:47 AM

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS TAKE THAT ROLE YUBI TAKE IT NOW!!!!

As a diehard fan of hers since GFB, I really hope she takes this role and that it's good (the writer and PD aren't the same as School 2013). They have a tight deadline considering nothing's confirmed and there's no news on any other casting but I really hope they choose well. I'm so happy to see one of the most talented and versatile actresses of her generation taking one step to the leading lady status she deserves, at last.

Also GF, you're wrong about her and Kim Woo-bin pairing up in School 2013, the role she was offered was the one taken by Park Se-young i.e. she'd have been paired up with Lee Jong-seok if they'd stuck to the love lines. And she ended up working with him in Pinocchio anyway, hehe.

(but I'm with you in thinking the universe is cheating us out of a second Woobie/Yubi pairing, even Twenty has them romantically involved with other people. So close and yet so far.....)

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15 museofmanymasks

March 16, 2015 at 8:01 AM

I generally avoid school-based dramas (and shows in general) but a mystery you say? *moseys on over to sit on the definitely maybe fence*

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16 gogummaa

March 16, 2015 at 9:05 AM

when i read this i was like "Why only now!! why not last 2013!!" huhuhu i badly need a dose of Kim Woo Bin-Lee Yubi pair!! their vampire drama showed their brilliant chemistry. I need a drama with this two as a pair. asap!

they should cast Lee Yubi's sister in this lol her sister is newer than her but seeing her in the webdrama, i can say she's a pretty good actress. hope her sister gets spotlight soon too. (i was imagining her on orange marmalade but umm..yeah)

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

March 16, 2015 at 10:35 AM

Lee Da-in has been cast in an upcoming MBC weekend drama, from what I've heard.

Sounds like it's a supporting role, but I've wanted to see more of her since her debut, she was a pretty capable actress in that web drama and had great chemistry with Lee Ki-kwang. (and she does look a LOT like her sister from some angles!)

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17 j2hr

March 16, 2015 at 10:17 AM

can we have Kim Ji Won as the It Girl?

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alpha

March 16, 2015 at 10:54 AM

When I read the 'It girl' and 'mysteriously disappears' I also immediately thought of Kim Ji Won; she will be the perfect role for it!!

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18 Sailor Mars

March 16, 2015 at 11:59 AM

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mia

March 16, 2015 at 12:19 PM

White Christmas with girls? that would be awesome, though I think it might be more scary

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19 mia

March 16, 2015 at 12:17 PM

yes! Lee Yubi and Kim Woobin should just stay as a couple in all their dramas and real life for that matter. I love love her!

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20 h3lla

March 16, 2015 at 12:34 PM

It Girl loses her memory and comes back, eh? Sounds like the plot of the book Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. I loved that book, and I'm definitely a fan of Lee Yubi. School 2013 is one of my favorite dramas of all time. The April / May drama landscape is looking lovely..

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21 Viki

March 16, 2015 at 6:54 PM

OMG, now more the reasons to watch it! I love her and I love the School franchise. School 2013 totally killed me and I love all the actors from that drama. I am glad they are switching the focus to the female leads this time because that will be something new. I loved the Lee Jong Suk-Kim Woo Bin pairing though!

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22 maknae_reader

March 17, 2015 at 12:03 AM

Can we have Cap as the teacher? hahah.

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