News bites: March 28, 2015

by awcoconuts

• Here’s something to get excited about for next year: Lee Young-ae has confirmed Saimdang, the Herstory, which will mark her return to the acting world after a 10-year hiatus. The drama will reinterpret the life of Joseon dynasty’s Shin Saimdang, who was widely regarded as an artistic genius. Lee will play dual roles, a university lecturer on art history and Shin Saimdang herself. In the present, the art history expert will discover Saimdang’s journal and consequently, an unknown secret. (Quite the ambitious comeback project, but the casting is perfect.) Filming is expected to start in June, and while the show doesn’t have a broadcaster yet, with Lee’s confirmation, the majors will likely be champing at the bit to air the drama early next year. [Joongang]


Gong Hyo-jin, Yeom Jung-ah

• Gong Hyo-jin (It’s Okay It’s Love) is returning to the silver screen in Mama, a suspense movie about a woman whose child is kidnapped by the help. Eom Ji-won (Thrice Married Woman) will play the mother desperate to recover her child, while Gong will play the housekeeper-slash-kidnapper. (How refreshing to see two women headlining!) Mama will be directed by Lee Eon-hee (Love Exposure) and will begin filming in the latter half of the year. [Joongang]
• Twelve years since her last horror project, A Tale of Two Sisters, Yeom Jung-ah (Cart) is returning to the genre with Jangsan-beom, a movie about a mysterious incident that happens to a single family. It will be directed by Heo Jung (Hide and Seek), and in the film Yeom’s character is a 30-something woman reeling from the pain of losing her son. Cameras are expected to begin rolling in July. [E Daily]


Lee Min-ho, Zhang Ziyi

• Zhang Ziyi is said to have personally reached out to Lee Min-ho, asking him to join her in the upcoming Chinese movie Eternal Doll. Based on the eponymous Korean novel by Jang Yong-min, the film rights were snapped up by a Chinese production company immediately upon the book’s release last August, and Zhang was the first to sign on. Lee has yet to confirm, but is said to be interested by the opportunity to work with Zhang and by the subject material. The plot is a mystery thriller which has elements of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese history, and the story will begin in the reign of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. With a budget of over 30 billion won (27 million USD), the film will shoot on location in all three countries and will require elaborate sets and CG effects. Eternal Doll will begin filming at the end of the year. [Munhwa]
• Box office queen Shim Eun-kyung (Cantabile Tomorrow) continues to be in hot demand; she’s considering the lead in another film called Compatability. The movie is the second in a sageuk trilogy to be produced by Jupiter Films; the first was The Face Reader and the third and final movie will be titled The Ideal Site. It will be a romantic historical film about the compatibility between a man and a woman, and cameras will begin rolling once the leads have been cast. [TV Report]


Kim Ji-hoon, Moon Ji-in

• Kim Ji-hoon (Jang Bo-ri Is Here) and Moon Ji-in (minor roles in Surplus Princess and Miss Korea) will pair up for KBS’s final drama special of the season. In Funny Woman, Kim will play a cantankerous, blunt judge presiding over family court, while Moon will play a woman who dreams of becoming a comedienne in order to make her sickly father laugh. Alas, she finds little success as a gagwoman. They’ll meet when Kim makes a guest appearance on a court-based tv show, and although Moon is sad because she’s not funny and he’ll play a man who hardly laughs, they’ll find reasons to smile as they fall in love. Funny Woman airs April 3. [Joy News]
• Hong Ah-reum (Legendary Witch) has been cast in tvN’s new daily drama Bird That Doesn’t Cry. The plot revolves around a murder and a related insurance payout worth billions of won. Hong is the central character, whose mother and role model is killed. She’ll set out to enact revenge on the evil woman behind it all, and Hong will experience catharsis by proving karma’s a bitch. Bird That Doesn’t Cry follows Family Secret on May 4 and will air for 100 episodes. [Xports News]


Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee

• We’ve had two new additions to Busan Line, the zombie movie starring Gong Yoo: Ahn So-hee (Heart to Heart, formerly of Wonder Girls) will play a baseball team manager and Choi Woo-shik (Ho-gu’s Love — he is so darned cute as Ho-gu!) will play a baseball player who’s harsh and rough, in sharp contrast to his previous roles. They’ll both be aboard the ill-fated KTX, and I’m looking forward to more casting updates for the blockbuster, which begins shooting late this year. [Joongang, TV Report]
• A pair of idols will make their acting debut in MBC Everyone’s first web drama Zero O’Clock Girl. Nam Tae-hyun (of Winner) is the lead: a man who dreams of becoming a singing superstar but who is unexpectedly tasked with operating a noraebang. The drama will follow Nam as he reinvents himself into a singer, and Jung Ye-rin (of girl group Girlfriend) will play a supporting part. While the schedule and format haven’t been determined yet, the web drama will likely air in early May on MBC Everyone and on portal sites. [OBS]

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