Okay, I’m officially more excited about the IRIS spinoff Athena: Goddess of War than I was for the original IRIS. Actress Su Ae (Sunny, Bottom of the 9th Inning with 2 Outs) has just been confirmed as the female lead, joining actors Jung Woo-sung and Cha Seung-won in the action-packed blockbuster drama series.
According to Taewon Entertainment, who is producing Athena, the two female leads are part of the National Anti-Terror Service. Similar to the roles played by Kim Tae-hee and Kim So-yeon in IRIS, one is a special agent while the other is a profiler, although both are on the same team this time. Su Ae plays a profiler with the South Korean national intelligence agency with a calm disposition who is set up in a secret organization as a double agent (I’m thinking Alias, the SD-6 years?). Producers cast Su Ae after looking at actresses who combined beautiful looks with strong acting skills and an ability to convey subtle emotions.
Athena is aiming for a premiere in the latter half of the year, and will begin filming in June.
With the high profile of the first series and the high expectations of a follow-up, a lot of attention has been directed at the casting of this spinoff series. First there was the news that Kwon Sang-woo was under consideration, then speculation about Ha Ji-won. I have to say that while Ha would have been awesome, I’m very happy about this casting. I hope the other female actress is just as strong.
Via OSEN
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Oh man. I wanted so badly not to care, but now I think I have to. hah. does it matter at all that i didn’t even watch IRIS?
Mamma say what? Not what I expected but I love Su Ae so I am officially completely and utterly happy with the casting. This is gonna be so so good!
Su Ae is good. Oh I think these casts probably even better than IRIS, for my taste.
Is there any hope that Ha Ji Won to take the other role? That would be awesome. And no, please no KSW. Thank you.
No idea who she is, but I’m excited that we’re getting closer to finding out the entire cast! Yayyy! GOOO ATHENA!
WOO HOO! I LOVE HER!
Awesomesauce already and it’s still months away. Thanks JB!
i really like her in 9E2O so therefore I guess its an official holy casting coup.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! this news is awesometastic!!! first Jung Woo-sung confirmed – now Su Ae?? oh this is gonna be great!! i can’t wait!!!
I personally am a lot more excited about this cast than the first IRIS. I not exactly gaga over Lee Byung Hun so I like the male casts for IRIS 2 better. So excited for this.
OMG totally didn’t expect this at all since I normally don’t think of Su Ae in action films. Love! Love her! Now if they can just get Im Soo Jung for the other female role this will be the drama equivalent of an orgasm for me. squeee!
Oh my gosh!! I simply LOVE her!! I gave IRIS a miss, but I might have to tune into Athena just because I love Su Ae that much!!
“Okay, I’m officially more excited about the IRIS spinoff Athena: Goddess of War than I was for the original IRIS.”
I agree 100%!!!
I’m absolutely in love with SooAe, she is one of my favorite actresses.. and I was already SO stoked for JWS (I’ve never even seen him in a drama.. much too long ago!) and CSW- so I didn’t know I could get even MORE excited! Anyway- I’ll really be looking forward to this!
So she can do this AND Kimi Wa Petto…right?
Please?
YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!! This is coming along nicely!
ooooh! I’m much more excited for this drama now! and especially after your ‘Alias’ mention javabeans! I loved Alias before it went all funky with the Rambaldi wackiness.
It’s called Athena: Goddess of War? I’m not liking the title since a lot of things come to mind (eg. Xena: Warrior Princess) that don’t relate to the governmental spy genre…
I got rather annoyed with her dreamy-voiced monologues in Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs, but she is a strong actress and she should be good.
I am so very excited about the 2nd installment, much more than the first, which is sad because Lee Byung Hun is one of my most favorite actors and I was so looking forward to Iris. However, Kim Tae Hee really dampened the excitement for me, and then the chemistry between the two was not even that great, no matter how good LBH was (and he normally has great chemistry with his leading actress). However, all 3 leads in Athena is great so far, so I can’t wait. Yes JB, I was thinking of Alias too (also, anybody remembered La Femme Nikita?) Maybe I am too old! LOL
Nice casting, she’s a great actress. She should’ve accepted to be Queen Seon Deok. How about Park Ye Jin for the other lead? She’s equally great too. It’s about time for her to be on a big project after her successful movie last 2009. But she’ll be the 2nd lead once again. Maybe that’s not a good idea at all. Anyhow, I’m more hyped with this because of the great casting.
Oh, this just gets better and better! Now officially looking forward to it!
@Linh
La Femme Nikita. I do. I hope your talking about the original and not the TV show. That will really make me feel old. I remember being like 14 yo and riding the train into NYC to watch this movie at the Angelica because they didn’t show it anywhere near where I lived. It was so kickass and I totally thinking why can’t american films/shows portray action with women this way and than my prayers were answered a few years later with Buffy.
oh WOW – this is a really good choice for Athena, really really good choice…
seems like they’re learning their lesson and knowing how to pick the better actors now!!! wheeee!
then again – i still hope the writing doesn’t fail, or else that will just ruin all these actors’ abilities..
I gave up on Iris after the 4-5th ep, but now I’m totally giving Athena a try. I LOVE Su Ae.
Ah, I might have to watch this! Su Ae is my girl crush (along with Ha Ji Won), so either way, I would’ve given Iris 2 a try (seeing as I had absolutely no interest and still don’t have any desire to watch the original).
So far, so good. I love the actors they have cast up till now and I would be much more interested in following this series than the original. I just couldn’t get over the main actress in the first one, as she seemed so wooden compared to the others so it felt kind of lopsided on the whole.
Also, I have missed Su Ae. She hasn’t done a kdrama for awhile. WIth such an awesome team of heavy hitters, I bet the sequal will eclipse the first series.
Fighting!!
i forgot jung woo sung was in this!! i like him. and i think su ae is a nice fit. cha seung won i have my doubts about (i really, really disliked city hall lol)
but i didn’t enjoy IRIS that much to begin with… so i’m not too excited just yet :/
bof
I haven’t seen IRIS yet, but I’m really excited about IRIS 2 because of it’s cast. More so now than ever after reading that Su Ae has joined the cast! Originally, I wished that it would’ve been Son Ye Jin (when Kwon Sang Woo was first rumored to star in IRIS 2) but we all know how that turned out.
And then I thought, why not Ha Ji Won? She’s PERFECT and then rumors started circulating that she was being considered. And we all know how that turned out.
So then, I thought, who else? Su Ae quickly came to mind and I even mentioned it in a previous IRIS 2 casting article on here. And now, she’s casted! AHH! I cannot be any happier!
I’m definitely anticipating this. Writers, don’t fail us now! I hope they keep their characters strong and the storyline worth-while.
Agree agree agree !! Though Ha Ji Won is great with any co-star, I love the sweet yet very strong, bubbling Su Ae even more. Very matching with image of Jung Woo Sung.
Yay! Thanks for the good news!!
But the title is seriously bothering me. Athena: Goddess of War?
If they’re gonna go for Greek mythology, then they should get it right! >.<
Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, battle, civilization. Not the Goddess of War. I'd rather they name it Ares: God of War or something. Or if they wanted the old strong female stereotype they could've gone with Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt (and wilderness and wild animals) LOL.
Oh my god. I can’t wait to see this drama. I’m more excited for this than IRISH 2. Su Ae is a great actress.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful news! I would have been really happy if it had worked out for Ha Ji Won, but Soo Ae is a fantastic actress (:
Su Ae and Jung Woo Sung = LOVE <3
I love Athena's casts.
It would be great if Ha Ji Won joins the cast
Honestly I’m a little bit disappointed by this casting (Su ae) or maybe by Athena team production. In the beginning of the casting (after they casted JWS & CSW) they stated that they’re looking for a strong & pro action type of actress for the female lead character & they also looking for a tall one, but instead they casted a nonaction actress with average high. It just make me think that Athena story line will be more like Iris, with a lot of romance scenes. Not that I’m against it, but somehow Taewon Ent. have been misleading me by implying that Athena will have more action scene than Iris. And besides, they basically resurrect the previous character (in Iris) like a profiler & some special agents from both conflicting sides. A predictable story line IMO. I’m not disappointed with So Ae, she’s a good actress, I just disillusioned by Athena previous premise.
thanks for cast soo Ae..
when i heard they will pick Yoona from SNSD!!
WTF!! what they think actually..
she’s good actress so far even not as the best.
instead 9iw2o i haven’t watch her projects.
but lately she’s been nominated in many awards + won it.
i hope this drama will be hits hhehhehe..
My Sexy Jung woo sung will be here.
He is The Real eye candy for me hahahhaha
I’m sorry but thank God they didn’t choose Yoona (SNSD) for the role. I have nothing against her or anything and in fact, I like SNSD but to be paired up with Jung Woo Sung & Chae Seung Won?
A definite mix-match. I think that was proven when she was paired up with Kwon Sang Woo who by the way, I completely adore. It’s not that Yoona can’t act, it’s just that she still has room to mature as an actress and why not be paired up with guys more her age; although, I really wouldnt mind seeing Yoon Kye Sang & Yoona pair up for a Kdrama/Kmovie.
Anyway, I’m really happy about Su-Ae!!! At the same time, I am hoping that they’ll also cast Lee Jung Jin. I love his chemistry with Su-Ae in 9 End 2 Outs!
Correction, I meant:
Jung Woo Sung and Cha Seung Won + Yoona (SNSD) = A NO-GO!
Jung Woo Sung and Cha Seung Won + Su-Ae = A Yes-YeS-YES!
This is a definite improvement over IRIS in terms of casting. But I really dislike having similar characterization of the 2 female leads. Tooo predictable. Can’t they be more original than that?
WOW!!! great cast! I LOVE Jung Woo Sung! He’s totally HOT!
and I like Su Ae… she’s pretty and she’s jang geun suk’s ideal girl 
su ae is one of the greatest actresses in korea good choice she loves to try new thinks
many thanks for this piece of news JB! i do think su ae is also a good choice. there is strength in her acting and would like to see that in Athena. The casting is definitely better than Iris. looking forward to more casting news on Athena!! Su Ae, fighting!!
Su Ae is pretty for sure. I really liked her in Haesin, but I can’t imagine her in an action role. I couldn’t stand ’9 out 2 in’, gave up after 1st episode. I’ll definitely watch Iris 2 for sure but at this stage, I’m not convinced it will be as good as Iris 1.
FINALLY A SUITABLE ACTRESS FOR THE ROLE!
Acting besides Jung Woo Sung and Cha Seung Won is huge! They’re both such amazing and great actors and they’ve finally found a leading lady that can match up their acting skills.
When I read that this role was offered to SNSD’s Yoona I was absolutely SHOCKED.
I mean don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely not an anti-fan but she’s not ready for this type of role.
Her acting skills will be hugely compared to those of Jung Woo Sung and Cha Seung Won and it will be so much pressure and comparing that I think it will be painful for people to watch.
I’m glad it’s Soo Ae. Loved her in a lot of movies that she was in.
I loved her in Bottom of the 9th! She’s one of my favourites.
LOL I didn’t watch IRIS but I really want to see Athena. Looks like a solid cast.
I’m still new to Kdramas, but I watched IRIS and enjoyed it. So hearing this is a spinoff has me interested. ^^
if you dont watch”a family “highly offer to watch you will understand
she is suitable every role ı think she is a real artist
I like both actors Jung Woo-sung and Cha Seung-won. But, I cannot swallow Soo-Ae. She is ugly and acts poorly. She is my nightmare. Anyway, yoona is worse than her.
EWH.
I wanted Ha Ji Won.
If they couldn’t cast HJW as the lead, then at least replace Su Ae with Lee Jia -_-
i love her veryyyyyyyy veryyyyyyyyy …………….. much!!!!
but i’m a girlD::D:D
what????”"”"”"ugly and acts poorly. She is my nightmare.”"”"”"
what are u talking about?
u don’t know any thing about actors palying!!!!!!
she is the best korean female actor.. and u saying that?
i’m sorry for you,..
i’m really sorry for you!!!!
i hate ha ji won!!
no one paly as good as soo-ae 1!!