Kam Woo-sung, Jang Dong-yoon, Park Sung-hoon cast in new SBS drama
by tineybeanie
Kam Woo-sung, Jang Dong-yoon, Park Sung-hoon
Fantasy-action sageuk drama Joseon Exorcist is about fighting against the forces of evil that want to use the greed of man to take over a nation. Recently, it was announced that Kam Woo-sung (The Wind Blows), Jang Dong-yoon (Search), and Park Sung-hoon (Memorials) will be playing the main trio, as father and his two sons.
Set in the early Joseon era, this drama begins with King Taejong (a.k.a. Yi Bang-won, ruthless fifth son of the first king of Joseon), played by Kam Woo-sung. As he’s surveying his northern territories, he comes across a strange entity that wishes to rule over man. Although this evil Western spirit is sealed away after its encounter with King Taejong, it revives its strength and is reborn through the teeming greed it finds in Joseon.
After the confusion caused by the evil spirit, King Taejong and his two sons, Prince Chung-nyung and Prince Yang-nyung, must face some difficult decisions. In order to re-seal the reborn evil spirit, the aged King Taejong decides to take up his sword once more. In his youth, when he was acquiring power, he didn’t seem to mind getting blood on his hands to achieve his objectives. He places great pride in the fact that he helped found the Joseon nation with his father King Taejo (a.k.a. Yi Seong-gye). However deep inside, he feels guilty for having to murder a great number of his family members.
Kam Woo-sung said of Joseon Exorcist: “I’m always excited and happy to work with an outstanding production crew and great actors. Because it’s been ten years since I’ve worked in a sageuk, those feelings are amplified.” He added, “I will work with the team with one heart and one determination to create a drama that will give viewers joy and energy. Therefore, please look forward to it.”
Jang Dong-yoon plays the scholarly Prince Chung-nyung. He goes from living in the land of imagination and books to confronting the dangerous reality of the evil spirit. In order to protect his loved ones, he decides to join the fight despite his innocence and ignorance of the bloodthirstier world. Regarding his casting, Jang Dong-yoon said: “I am excited and honored to be working with a great director, writer, and my senior actors. Although it’s not an easy role, I view it as one that will help me to grow and mature.”
Park Sung-hoon plays the Crown Prince Yang-nyung, who holds a grudge in his heart against his father. In order to protect his loved one, he decides to enter into a dangerous contract with the evil spirit. He is King Taejong’s firstborn son, and as such, he’s arrogant but holds a deep fear that he will never live up to his father’s expectations. Although he tried to live according to King Taejong’s wishes, he goes astray. His incompetency and King Taejong’s stance on primogeniture succession lead Prince Yang-nyung to anxiety about losing anything he has and greed to keep all of his power and possessions.
When Park Sung-hoon was asked why he chose this project, he said, “I have a firm belief in Director Shin Kyung-soo, and I was drawn by Writer Park Kye-ok’s addictive script.” He added, “I am honored to be working with senior actors that I’ve admired for a long time. I will enter filming with a ready-to-learn mindset . I will try my best to create a high quality drama, so please look forward to it.”
SBS drama Joseon Exorcist, directed by Shin Kyung-soo (Nokdu Flower, Six Flying Dragons) and written by Park Gye-ok (Doctor Prisoner), will air in 2021.
Via SE Daily
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Tags: Jang Dong-yoon, Joseon Exorcist, Kam Woo-sung, Park Sung-hoon
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1 WishfulToki
November 18, 2020 at 12:16 PM
*reads title*
Oh my gosh, a sageuk!!! That cast!!!!! That PD is amazing!!
*reads the synopsis*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHYYYYY???!!!!!
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Eazal
November 18, 2020 at 1:27 PM
My exact thoughts.
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gadis
November 18, 2020 at 3:16 PM
Exactly. And it's not like K-drama has the best track record for sageuk fantasy stories either. Sigh...
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kiara
November 18, 2020 at 3:59 PM
Yay!
The mention of NOKDU FLOWER just activated my sageuk radar lol.
I love Kam Woo-sung and I'm happy that he is part of this drama but it's going to take time to get over Jang Hyuk's Taejong.
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WishfulToki
November 19, 2020 at 7:26 AM
Your sageuk radar is really good!
There are already too many Taejongs in my mind. They could have chosen other bloodthirsty rulers. Yeonsangun has been left out lately.
I'm also confused about the writer: It's the same writer of QUEEN CHEORIN?
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kiara
November 19, 2020 at 1:19 PM
Toki I'm not sure that my sageuk radar is that godd lol. I'm willing to give it a shot for Kam Woo-sung and PD Shin.
I don't know this writer but I'll try the first 4 episodes.
I don't even know the writer for QUEEN CHEORIN sorry. I'm not planning on watching it.
I hear you about Taejong. We've had a lot of sageuks based on his era and the man and his fan is still fresh in my memory lol.
I hope the young boys will draw me in like Lee Hyun-woo and Lee In in "The Great King Sejong" and Song Joong-ki in "Tree with Deep Root."
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sparks121
November 20, 2020 at 7:24 PM
Lol this was my exact reaction... ㅠㅠ
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2 Kurama
November 18, 2020 at 12:54 PM
I liked Park Sung-Hoon playing a nice guy, it won't last very long...
I dropped Doctor Prisoner, so I'm not sure for the writer. But the rest, casting and PD, looks good.
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Kafiyah Bello
November 19, 2020 at 5:08 AM
The writer isn't very good if Doctor prisoner is any indiction, Nam Googmin made that drama.
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3 lillamy
November 18, 2020 at 1:01 PM
Well, the cast and the PD has got me exited. Truly looking forward to Jang Dong-yoon in action sageuk again. But where will the genre take us? Pure action, mystery, thriller, maybe some horror? Or maybe...melo? To soon to tell.
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4 lately
November 18, 2020 at 1:07 PM
I don't want the two princes to be at odds with each other... but the summary indicates that, not very subtly. It would be quite the interesting twist if Jang Dong Yoon would turn out to be the Evil Son in this story.
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halofan68
November 18, 2020 at 2:56 PM
Quite likely the opposite unless this is an alternate history. *Historical spoilers follow* Crown Prince Yang-nyung ended up deposed and lived a long life outside the palace. Prince Chung-nyung becomes King Sejong the Great, truly a giant among men.
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kiara
November 18, 2020 at 3:53 PM
Taejong was ruthless but his boys did get along.
The two eldest passed on the throne and their more talented little brother Sejong became king.
Yang-nyung rebelled on purpose so the description of his character is pretty close. His father's bloodshed really affected him because he witnessed it all.
The closest you can get to the actually history is "The Great King Sejong (2008)." If you are a history geek you'll love it lol.
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5 Eazal
November 18, 2020 at 1:29 PM
Really?
If only it had been Goryeo Exorcist...
And PSH being evil in Joseon again.
I don't think I'll watch, which is a pity because the cast is great, and so is PD.
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WishfulToki
November 19, 2020 at 7:11 AM
"Goryeo Exorcist" doesn't sound as catchy as "Joseon Exorcist" maybe? 🤣
I actually think there's more leeway to make a creepy fantasy sageuk set in Goryeo than super historically-attested Joseon. And seriously, Taejong again?? But viewers loved KINGDOM and zombies have been all the rage recently, so why not have a drama where he fights zombies or evil spirits now. Sigh.
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kiara
November 19, 2020 at 1:25 PM
I think the success of "Kingdom" and "Along with the Gods" is rubbing off on dramaland productions.
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bong-soo
November 21, 2020 at 9:52 AM
Your thoughts on a couple of other dramas:
1. JOSEON XFILES (2010). I think it was the summer 3 year ago that I watched and really enjoyed JXF. It was my only Kim Ji-hoon drama until FLOWER OF EVIL. i thought he was terrific in JXF and FOE; and
2. SECRET DOOR (2014). I mentioned it below to dramalover4ever. It looked like it had a great cast but the ratings (for the time) look rather modest.
Did you watch these 2? SECRET DOOR is available on Viki. I am not sure I want to commit to 24 episodes with TWDR also available.
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WishfulToki
November 23, 2020 at 6:47 AM
I haven't seen either of these, but TWDR is on my holidays to-watch list.
Since you brought up Kim Ji-hoon, I've only seen him in FLOWER BOY NEXT DOOR. Have you seen it? If you are in the mood for a low-key rom-com with some hilarious scenes give it a try. Yoon Shi-yoon's Enrique is one of my favourite characters ever, and Park Shin-hye did really well too. If you are a Kim Seul-gi fan, it's a must.
kiara
November 23, 2020 at 8:50 AM
Go for it Toki. JOSEAN X-files and TWDR <3. You won't regret it.
JB's recap on JXf:https://www.dramabeans.com/?s=Joseon+X-files
Head's recap TWDR:https://www.dramabeans.com/?s=Tree+with+deep+root
We don't get these kind of sageuks any more and I also miss our sageuk girls.
bong-soo
November 24, 2020 at 7:22 AM
@wishfultoki,
I mention Kim Ji-hoon in FLOWER OF EVIL and you segue to FLOWER BOY NEXT DOOR. I guess I was in need a YSY fix as an antidote to the pandemic times so I went down the rabbit hole last night. Lol. YSY had me laughing right of the bat. I am going to enjoy this. Everyone is so young though!
The episode lengths are perfect coming in at 50 min. or less. Maybe this was before tvN started going long.
Thanks for the recommendation!!
@kiara,
Thanks for the link to Head’s TWDR recaps. I am sure TREE will be one drama where I will need to watch an episode and read the recap. Thanks again.
6 Ayan
November 18, 2020 at 2:08 PM
Crossing fingers it won't be too creepy!
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7 books7time
November 18, 2020 at 2:55 PM
A+ for casting, but not my cup of tea.
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8 purpleconfetti
November 18, 2020 at 3:54 PM
I'd watch anything for Jang Dong Yoon really, he's such a great actor and I'm glad he's getting more opportunities!
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9 bong-soo
November 18, 2020 at 4:05 PM
I will be there. A few random thoughts:
1. I have been really enjoying Jang Dong-yoon in SEARCH and look forward to seeing him in JE;
2. Re PD Shin. NOKDU FLOWER was (for me) one of the best dramas of 2019 and I have heard nothing but good things about TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS. I will get to it;
3. Re Writer Park. The only work of Writer Park that I have seen is DOCTOR PRISONER which was a 2019 favorite of mine. I thought the writing was a tour de force. It was like a verbal/visual tennis match. The story kept going back and forth between the excellent leads Namgoong Min and Kim Byung-chul. Maybe it wasn’t for everyone;
3. Park Sung-hoon. He was great this year in INTO THE RING. He can go dark. If you have seen his performance in PSYCHOPATH DIARY a you know it. I am sure he will give a great performance; and
4. Availability. Since this is an SBS production it should be available on Kocowa/Viki.
Also another SBS sageuk production coming down the line in 2021 is HONG CHUNG-GI supposedly with Ahn Hyo-seop.
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WishfulToki
November 19, 2020 at 7:20 AM
I also need to get to TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS!
I know nothing about the writer but trust this PD, and I like the cast. I hope this won't be another ARTHDAL, which had a great cast and team but the overall product was mediocre.
A bit of trivia: Park Sung-hoon was in SIX FLYING DRAGONS, playing the son of swordmaster diva Gil Tae-mi, Gil Yoo. So he's worked with this PD and this specific period of history before!
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bong-soo
November 19, 2020 at 10:50 AM
when I looked up PSH on AsianWiki I saw that he was part of SFD so that is another plus for him.
SFD is another drama I may not get to watch.
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kiara
November 19, 2020 at 1:37 PM
I'd recommend TWDR over these up-coming sageuks.
Han Suk-kyu's Sejong is my favorite and the rest of the talented cast really made this sageuk felt real.
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dramalover4ever
November 21, 2020 at 1:19 AM
I'm with you on Dr Prisoner. It was something else. At times, it was Shakespearian in intensity.
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10 Ayalynn
November 18, 2020 at 6:22 PM
I love Jang Dong-yoon and Park Sung-hoon, and I loved Doctor Prisoner a lot.
I'll check this out for sure.
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11 loveblossom🌸
November 18, 2020 at 7:14 PM
Oooh yay another role for Jang Dong Yoon soon(ish). It was nice seeing him all rugged and handsome in Search, but it wasn't exactly showing off his acting chops.
Hope this one is thrilling and not too scary. >.<
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12 Viki
November 18, 2020 at 8:53 PM
Ahhh, my cutie Park Sung Hoon from Memorials won't be a cutie here again...I guess I will find myself hating his character. Oh wells. Still watching this because of him and Jang Dong Yoon, fan of both of them! But why a serious saeguk?! I can't do serious saeguks. I can do cute saeguks like Tale of Nokdu and perhaps Queen Cheorin (Shin Hye Sun!)
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13 Diana Hansen
November 19, 2020 at 7:47 AM
i love saeguks and i hope this one will be good. its a good chance to follow these actors too. i say let the saeguks begin!
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14 Miky
November 19, 2020 at 11:45 AM
Glad to see after such a long time news about it again,can't wait for this one!
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15 dramalover4ever
November 21, 2020 at 1:26 AM
King Taejong is the gift that keeps on giving. Whether it's jang Hyuk or Yoo Ah-In, I don't think I'll ever get tired of the endless reinventions around his life and his choices. I got hooked on his story through Yoo Ah-In's Taejong, so I guess I was lost first up. The only other story that is so compelling is the story of Prince Sado and the rice chest (YAI again). These stories get told and retold, and it seems to me that every generation tries to make sense of what happened in their own way. Bring on Joseon Exorcist. I'll be interested to see how it plays out and how Taejong "reaps" what's coming to him in the next generation.
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bong-soo
November 21, 2020 at 9:42 AM
@jorobertson, dramalover4ever,
Speaking of Prince Sado, have you watched SECRET DOOR (2014)? It is available on Viki (24 episodes). It looks like it had a great cast but the ratings (for the time) seem rather modest.
https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Secret_Door/Episode_Ratings
Any thoughts?
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dramalover4ever
November 21, 2020 at 4:19 PM
No I haven't. I'll get back to you.
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dramalover4ever
November 21, 2020 at 4:33 PM
Comment was deleted
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dramalover4ever
November 21, 2020 at 4:36 PM
I just found it on viki. It's got Lee Je-hoon and Han Suk Kyu in it!! I'm going to have to watch it. This may take some time. I'm still finishing up Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I'll let you know what I think as I go. I can't imagine how it could not have been good.
I just glanced at a review - I didn't want to read too much because I don't want to preempt my response to the drama, but it made me think how complex the actual historical characters are and how difficult it would be to portray them. YAI and Song Kang-ho as King Yeongjo did a pretty good job at gesturing towards that complexity. It will be interesting to see how Lee Je-hoon and Han Suk Kyu compare. Thanks for telling me about it. Something to look forward to.
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