Oh, count me IN. Lee Jong-seok has been confirmed for KBS’s remake of the ’90s youth drama School, which was a show that gave a lot of current A-listers their starts (Ha Ji-won, Im Soo-jung, Jo In-sung, Jang Hyuk, Su Ae, Bae Doo-na, Kim Rae-won…). Naturally there’s a lot of speculation about whether the remake will be able to (wait for it…) remake that initial success. (Badum-ching! It was just lying there. I couldn’t ignore it. That would be rude.)
Lee Jong-seok totally won me over in High Kick 3; he carried my favorite storyline and became one of my two favorite characters (alongside Park Ha-sun). I just loved watching him grow up on that show as his character went from noncommittal slacker to a hard-working, goal-having, mature young adult. So while he’s already done the teenage cool-guy student role, this is one time I’m happy to see a youngster repeating high school.
We can expect a fairly large cast in the younger generation, and we don’t yet know much about the others, but Lee Jong-seok should be one of our leads. I suspect he’ll be front and center (though he could always be a visible second lead), and his character is described as being a “prominent” role. He’s a guy with no interest in his studies (so, familiar territory), but he’s not a trouble-maker or a problem kid.
School is currently in the script-writing stages (er, hopefully they speed that up, given that it premieres soonish!) and so far the only other cast member who has confirmed for sure is Jang Nara, playing a teacher. Other names that have been floated as possibilities are Lee Yubi (Choco of Nice Guy) and Lee Se-young (little sis from Bachelor’s Vegetable Store).
The drama has got the PD of the first School onboard, as well as the PD from the first Dream High, so I feel pretty good about the producers being able to capture youthful emotion. There’s just something so wrenching about a good high school story—the feelings, the tumult, the heightened reality of living in a fishbowl. But as we’ve seen, not all dramas can manage the trick of it smoothly. I just hope this one’s good.
School will be a Monday-Tuesday drama, and will hit airwaves at the end of November or beginning of December.
Via Star News
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Talk of a coincidence! I just saw him in the heart blowing Drama Special “When I was the Prettiest” and I was thinking I missed him in bigger productions. SO happy to read this. Now I’m sure I will watch this, no matter what.
Where did you watch that drama special?
http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/when-i-was-the-prettiest/
Caution: Noona killer alert.
yes i agree with you ! i saw it too and damn he is a good kisser hahahaha … it was a nice drama but sadly the end wasn’t as i wished …. but so glad he is acting in a new drama !
I liked the idea of the drama but *shallowness alert* the main actress looked like his mother… it made me feel very squicky.
Main actress as in Jang Nara? Still not confirmed she be in it, though the longer it goes on for the more chances of if being true and also she not be confirmed as the lead either, it could well be a cameo role. As for looking like his mother, the age gap only eight years 81 to his 89 so young Aunt perhaps but hardly mother!
love him…wanted OSKA to go gay just for him in SEGA..
YEAH, me too xD
and I really liked him in this Drama Special… and as they already said… he is a really good kisser xD hope he can use this skill in School too xD
saw it!!! thanks for recommending…awesome!! I don’t mind the actress and I think she fits the role well…that was some skinship(way to go LJS!!!!)…the drama is very artistic with a good touch of reality…
Thanks for the link.
That just happens to be on my watch list. There seem to be a lot of drama specials on dramacrazy lately.
Oh !! Cool !!
I am definitely in with this drama. Lee Jong-seok was amazing in High Kick 3, and I’ve wanted to see him in something else. If he has been in anything else since, I don’t know about it.
I’m not familiar with the original School drama, but if it is as popular as you say, Javabeans, I will definitely give this remake a watch!
So gonna watch this! Lee Jong-Seok, the guy from AGD.. I wonder if there will be a new F4…
I think pretty boy has confused you…
He is in SeGa, not AGD.
No she means another rumored guy Kim Woo-bin from AGD.
yep, correct!
My bad!
that KWB is also pretty charismatic…I’m glad he’s in it aswell…now if we can just allow him some kissing scenes this time…
Yay! I love him! Suddenly VERY excited for this show. : )
Hopefully they’ll get the cast together soon and start filming because time is a’wastin’, people!
Thanks for the update, javabeans!
i just love high school themes
Yaaaaay.
I’m really happy they have Dream High PD with them, but if they had Shut Up Flower Boy Band PD with them? Even more awesome!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! He’s also one of my favorite character in High Kick 3 and that’s mainly because of his acting. So I promise that I’ll always look for his projects.
Agrees. Even if i’ve just left teen ages behind. A good high school stories always pique my interest. Funny than when its a turd, its really a turd (BOF, DH2) but when its good, its so damn good (Answer Me 1997, DH1)!
Great! He’s very cute and I love watching him on Inkigayo
I do like Lee Jong Seok but is Kim Woo Bin not going to be in this anymore?? Please Dramagods!!!
the first I thought about was WHERE IS MY WOO BIN? idk maybe he is just not confirmed yet..
Hope they will put in more effort in fleshing out the characters like Reply 1997. That drama was awesome because of the believable characters. also coz of the actors’ chemistry.
He so awesome. I googled him like crazy as soon as he appeared on Secret Garden and was shocked he wasn’t in anything else. Been following him after that, so School is now a must see. Thanks JB for making my day ^^
Yes!!!! go back to acting where he’s good at and ditch mcing please. no offend but he’s a terrible MC.
*HAPPY DANCE* I loved him in HK3. I am definitely watching this. The premise of the show doesn’t seem bad either, but his casting news did it for me. YAYY <3
Be very hard to repeat the impact the original had, that was pre 2000 where memories of armed troops storming student grounds and the bloody aftermath where very fresh in the public mind, Now 10, 12 years on the layers of Democracy are more set and the bad old days of puppet governments of the miliary and chobel are dimming.
As for Jang Nara, it not for certain she going to be the main actress, it could even be a cameo as nothing yet been signed on paper.
she in Korea though, she recently did an event to do with fair voting and at once changed ambassador hats to her one for Korean Tourism and did the opening for the Jeonju International food festival
Do you know if this will be a teacher/student story?
you have to ask those that may remember or read up on the original series. It would not be surprising if it did though even if only a side story, it seems a pretty common story line after all. There are many variation to that theme though from harmless one sided crushes to scary obsession, as I do not know how much School was or will be a melodrama…guess we have to wait and see how it is worked out, though personally I hope for more laughs than heavy drama.
Co-Ed’s Hyoyoung joins the cast ^^ http://bit.ly/SevNcM
Choi Daniel seems to have been cast also in School, leading to I sure a lot of interest in possible love connection with Jang Nara’s character
http://reviewstar.hankooki.com/Article/ArticleView.php?WEB_GSNO=10070733
It been released in both Korea and china, so that also seems to confirm fully that Jang Nara IS going to do this drama.
I read elsewhere on a fan site where she introduces her new manager and also mentions a chance in her schedule ie making school 2013.
The drama itself seems to be centred more on the teachers than students.