Oh, this makes me SO happy. Lee Jung-jae (Typhoon, Oh Brothers) has been cast as the husband in the highly anticipated remake of classic Korean film The Housemaid, putting him in the middle of a confrontation between veteran actress Jeon Do-yeon and rising star Seo Woo.
The remake of the 1960 dark psychological thriller had initially attracted notice when casting Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine) as the housemaid who upends the lives of a married couple, then again stirred buzz when adding Seo Woo (Tamra the Island). In the original, the spouses are middle-aged and the maid is younger than the husband she seduces. However, this remake is taking a modern spin in casting Jeon as an older femme fatale who is brought in to work for a younger couple. (I say “older” but it hardly means she’s old; it’s just in relation to the original film. Jeon is 36, the same age as Lee, while Seo Woo is 24.) Still, even if the plot remains intact, this reversal does significantly alter the politics of the three-way relationship, and ought to make for some interesting shifts in dynamic.
I had heard rumors that Lee might be cast, but was not getting my hopes up in case those were just rumors. But with three really strong actors, a strong director, and source material that’s widely considered the best from the golden age of Korean cinema, well, expectations are climbing.
The Housemaid will begin filming next month and release in 2010.
Via Now News
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YAAAAAY! makes me SOOOO happy too. loved him since White Night 3.98. He’s a great actor. Wish he did more movies. Now I can’t wait for the movie to come out.
Awesome! This is so exciting! I’m so happy that Lee Jung Jae is in this movie, hooray!
Oh, I want to see this movie… I’ve loved watching Lee Jung Jae since Il Mare.
Lee Jung Jae is great….
but isn’t he a lot older than Seo Woo??
I thought the same thing as GreenFreak – Lee Jung-jae is the same age as Jeon Do-yeon, so wouldn’t it be harder to make the original couple look convincing, given their age differences?
This is fantastic news, I’m so glad the rumors were true! 2010 is shaping up to be QUITE the year for Kdramas and films. Can’t wait. And that pic is scrumptious!
Thanks JB!
Yay! I had heard rumors, but I’m excited it’s true! Really looking forward to this!
I think that this is going to be very very interesting. As JB pointed out, Jeon Do Yeon, who is older, will be the third wheel, so I am curious to how she tries to seduce Lee Jung Jae’s character, who has a younger wife (Seo Woo).
I love Jeon Do Yeon, and I really wanted her to work with Jung Woo Sung, or Lee Byung Hun again. But still, I am glad that Lee Jung Jae is being cast opposite her. His last drama, Triple, was very disappointing.
I first saw him in a movie that I think was called “An Affair.” In it he fell in love (?) with his fiancee’s older sister who was married with a preteen. It was an awesome movie. It was overtly sexual for those not into that but I’d highly recommend it.
Oooooh fantastic news!
BTW, Sarah, I love the new recap sidebar with the “done” and “in progress” sections. I’ve just noticed them, God, I’m so slooooooow. lol
Yay! I’m currently watching Sandglass and I like him in that. Can’t wait to see The Housemaid.
Oh! I was wondering who would play the husband, and I also wanted LJJ for the role. It’s one of those things where you go “I wish Lee Jung Jae would have the role”, and than it actually happens!
On the downside…. LJJ and Seo Woo!?
Even if she’s 12 years younger… it looks like a 20 year difference due to Seo Woo’s baby face -_-
I wonder how it would have been if Seo Woo was the maid?
I thought that was the dude from Triple!! He looks just like him! Handsome either way…
To those of you, who have not seen the extraordinary Lee Jung Jae and goddess Lee Mi Sook in An Affair, my advice is buy, borrow, grab, prehend, steal a copy of the dvd, prontissimo! Although I first heard of The Housemaid on these pages (being a very recent convert to Korean cinematography) and therefore know nothing of the original (which sounds like a must-see…could it be found on region 2 dvd, with English subs?), I’m certain that they could not have picked a more suitable actor for the part of the husband in the remake (‘remake’ in a qualified sense, since, from what I read here, it seems like this version is setting itself different challenges). Oh, how the heart leaps in anticipation!
I don’t often comment here, but want to say how excited I am about this. Sounds like a solid cast and plot. I’m really intrigued to watch the original now…
@14 Martha: I’m not sure how legal this website is (though it looks professional) but you can watch the original free here:
http://www.theauteurs.com/films/2039
I’ll be watching as soon as I get a chance
I am glad Lee is cast. At first when Seo Woo is cast, I thought it wld meant they are getting a younger guy to go up against Jeon Do yeon which wld have been strange. Now that Lee is cast, at least if they have a relationship than it is more convincing.
@Sere
I didn’t notice that until you pointed it out! Haha. Nor did I notice that there’s a Twitter box on the right. Boy am I slow…
#15 stopsearch,
Thank you very much, I’m going to watch it now.
So many Korean fans think that 36 is old, that I am always shocked. Twenty year differences are very common in Japanese, American, Hispanic and European cinema. The actor’s careers are more sustainable than the actresses. People here
wouldn’t call Brad Pitt old (yet)
@pat:
There’s nothing wrong with a 20 year difference… I think.
LJJ and SW have a 12 year difference.
When I meant that LJJ and SW look like they have a 20 year difference because of SW’s baby face, it looks more like a 36 year old LJJ married with a 14 year old wife.
The age differences here reminds me of Jahng Hee Bin. She was about two years older than that lameass of a king and nine years than Inhyon Wanghu.
At any rate, I’m soooooo TEAM JEON DO YEON!
expectations are through the roof
It’s exciting to hear that they are remaking ” The Housemaid ” it was an exceptional film….i should revisit and watch it again..hope they do this old classic film justice!!!
I. WILL. WATCH. this show just sounds so intriguing.