News bites: July 16, 2022

by stroopwafel

Kang Ha-neul

• Kang Haneul (Insider) is being courted for the lead role in a new dark fantasy drama, Death’s Game. Adapted from a popular webtoon, the premise of Death’s Game is that death is only the beginning. When a deeply unhappy man faces death, he finds himself drawn into a game with life or death stakes. Kang’s current drama, Insider, hasn’t finished airing yet, but I hope we get good news on this project — there can never be too many Kang Haneul shows. [Newsen]

• Im Soo-hyang (Doctor Lawyer, Woori the Virgin) is considering offers for her next project, and one she’s considering is the fantasy-medical drama, The Season of Kkok-du. The titular character Kkok-du is a grim reaper who has to endure a unique punishment: vacation time. Every 99 years he’s forced to take a break from his work guiding souls to the Underworld, and on one such vacation, he meets a doctor with a strange power. The doctor, which is the role Im Soo-hyang is considering, has the ability to summon Kkok-du at will. Kim Jung-hyun (Mr. Queen) is reportedly in talks for the male lead of Kkok-du. I really like Im Soo-hyang, so I’m torn between wanting her to take this role and wanting her to take a little break. Regardless of what she chooses to do, it’s nice to see her in high demand. [Newsen, Sports Chosun]

Lee Joon

• The makjang masterminds behind Penthouse and An Empress’s Dignity — PD Joo Dong-min and writer Kim Soon-ok – are returning to dramaland with a new project called The Escape of the Seven. Lee Joon (Red Heart) is currently in talks for a role, and if he accepts he’ll be working with Eom Ki-joon (Penthouse 3), Hwang Jung-eum (Mystic Pop-up Bar), Yoon Jong-hoon (Penthouse 3), and Shin Eun-kyung (Penthouse 3). Lee Joon has been making a lot of interesting project choices lately, and it seems like he’s focused on showing his range – so whatever this role is, it’s likely a change from his previous ones. There’s no information available on the genre or plot yet, but based on the creative team’s previous works, I’m thinking drama, makjang, and lots of yelling. [Xports News]

• Wrapping up our casting news extravaganza, we have confirmation that Gong Min-jung (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) will be joining Namgoong Min (The Veil) and Kim Ji-eun (Again My Life) in One Thousand Won Lawyer. The action and legal drama follows a brilliant lawyer, played by Namgoong Min, who charges just 1,000 won to take on a case. He fights tooth and nail for his clients regardless of who his adversary is, and he’s not cowed by fancy, high-priced lawyers. Gong Min-jung will be playing a prosecutor who always tries to remember her roots and why she became a lawyer, despite a slight jealous streak when it comes to some of her peers and sunbaes. [Newsen]

• Though thrillers aren’t uncommon in Korean cinema, it’s unusual to see a thriller where all the protagonists are women. Limit breaks the mold with a tense story about a series of child kidnappings and the lengths three women will go to for their children. Starring Lee Jung-hyun (Night of the Undead, Peninsula), Moon Jung-hee (Times, Search), and Jin Seo-yeon (One the Woman), what’s at stake is terrifying: if someone is willing to kidnap your child, what else are they willing to do? Playing the depraved masterminds behind the kidnappings are Park Myung-hoon (Parasite, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area) and Park Kyung-hye (My Roommate Is a Gumiho). Directed by Lee Seung-joon (The Spy: Undercover Operation) and adapted from a novel by Japanese writer Hisashi Nozawa, Limit opens on August 17. [Xports News, Sports Seoul]

• If You Wish Upon Me has released its latest batch of character stills, this time turning the spotlight on Sooyoung (Run On) and Sung Dong-il (Ghost Doctor). Starring Ji Chang-wook (The Sound of Magic), the healing drama is about the last wishes of hospice patients. Sooyoung is a nurse at the hospice and an exercise fanatic. Muscle loss is disastrous in her eyes, so she always has fitness on her brain. When she’s not exercising, she’s busy being a ray of optimism and brightness at the hospice while she helps out Team Genie. What’s Team Genie, you ask? They’re the team in charge of making patients’ wishes come true. The volunteer group is an important part of the hospice system, and Sung Dong-il is their trusty leader. His latest character stills hint at an unhappy past as well as showing his current life at the hospice. I know we still have a few weeks before the drama begins, but I am already Team Genie all the way. If You Wish Upon Me premieres August 10 on KBS. [MK Sports, Newsen]

 
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