Drama Casting & News
Royal Family finalizes its leads
by | January 21, 2011 | 20 Comments

MBC’s upcoming drama Royal Family has cast its lead actors, pairing Yeom Jung-ah (Jeon Woo Chi) with Ji Sung (Kim Suro, Swallow the Sun). The drama had previously teased the possibility of casting Lee Mi-yeon as the lead, but went with Yeom instead.

Yeom is an actress I haven’t seen much, but I think I like this casting better; she had a role in the fantasy-action flick Jeon Woo Chi and the 2008 drama Working Mom, but I remember her most strongly from the fascinating psychological thriller Tale of Two Sisters, where she was superb. (Trivia! She played Im Soo-jung’s stepmother there, then teamed with her in Jeon Woo Chi to play her rival.)

Royal Family centers around two characters: a prosecutor who grew up poor and overcame his difficult childhood, and a woman who has lived a “shadow existence” in a chaebol family, then overcomes numerous setbacks on the way to becoming the corporate head. In their earlier days, she had supported him, and after he becomes a prosecutor, the tables turn and he quietly supports her.

It sounds nothing at all like the drama it replaces, My Princess, although you can’t help but note the coincidence in their titles, which is compounded by the fact that they’ll air one right after the other. This one seems more serious than the cotton-candy (but oh-so-cute) fluffery of My Princess; it’s directed by Kim Do-hoon of the broadcast-reporter drama Spotlight (yawn) and written by a team of three, Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon of Queen Seon-deok and Kwon Eum-mi of General Hospital 2. Huh. An interesting mix, but then again, you are more than your last project, although it doesn’t always seem that way.

Via Segye

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20 Comments from the Beanut Gallery
  1. tehhee

    definitely going to watch!!!

    • 1.1 tehhee

      LOL,
      Daemul,
      President,
      and now this?
      im loving it.

      • 1.1.1 jjak

        you missed My Princess (:

        • 1.1.1.1 Biscuit

          I don’t think MP fits into the category. This drama, along with Daemul/President and even Giant to some extent, are about dramas of people reaching the top and are more serious in both tone and politics.

          MP is too light and fluffy

  2. hpn88

    the plot sounds really interesting.
    I have an iffy relationship with Ji Sung coughSwallowthesuncough

    BUT this looks interesting enough to overlook that

    • 2.1 gala

      same here, but he was so endearing in New Heart. however, it’s his only drama I can watch.

      • 2.1.1 Cherry

        Right! I loved him in New heart, too! His silly acting caught me ^^

        • 2.1.1.1 Lilian

          OMG! I SO SO SO loved him in New Heart! I wish I knew someone like him =) always smiling , always kind and optimistic!

  3. Purpleclouds

    If it’s not a love story, I won’t watch.

  4. Qwenli

    Not familiar with both leads…

  5. Arhazivory

    It sounds like it could be interesting. I like the concept and I might just give it a go.

  6. Minnetter

    Lol… I feel like people really really didn’t like Swallow the sun… which is sad, because I actually liked it… if only they hadn’t included the whole cirq du soleil stuff and if they hadn’t all jumped from Las Vegas to Africa and back… but the story of Ji Sung’s parents i liked if only the tension hadn’t gone out with a whimper…. ok so I admit there were a lot of issues… hahahaha, but I still enjoyed it (I loved Ji Sung with his long hair… ::drools:: if only they hadn’t cut it into the bodyguard hairstyle…)
    So if I watched StS for Ji Sung I’ll watch this one… it might actually be interesting^^

    • 6.1 Dara

      Love him but hate plot when they jumped back to Korea meh. But in New Heart , he was adorable.

  7. hawjimage

    Ji SUNG is hot. I’m watching regardless of the lame plot…”i.e. Swallow in the Sun.”

  8. Amnada

    It’s an interesting story, but it’s gonna be long drama.
    So i think i pass this drama.

  9. Maho

    Aww…I wanted to see Lee Mi Yeon…oh well.

  10. 10 alex

    Did anyone watch King’s woman where I have very much appreciated Ji Sung ? I am looking forward to this new drama .

  11. 11 kamee

    I’m kind of excited for this one b/c i like it’s premise. i hope it delivers!

  12. 12 rainee

    sounds like daddy long legs helping each other out.. and since i’m a sucker for daddy long legs plot, i’m interested :)

  13. 13 Mina

    Funny thing is out of the people, I’m one of the few girls who hate romance and love action and social commentary related dramas. It’s just me, but I find this more interesting than My Princess. Different person has different taste.

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