IU eyes a new Hong sister project for her comeback

59 December 4, 2018July 6, 2019

by tineybeanie

On December 4, IU’s (My Ajusshi) agency revealed that she had received an offer to star in the Hong sisters’ next project. However, she’s received a lot of other scripts as well, and hasn’t made her final decision.

The Hong sisters (Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran) are a screenwriting power sibling duo, who have been known for classic Hallyu hits like My Girl and cult favorites like You’re Beautiful. Their most recent work was Hwayugi, a fantasy rom-com adaptation of Ming dynasty Chinese novel Journey to the West starring Lee Seung-gi and Cha Seung-won.

The Hong sisters are masters of quick wit who excel at creating a cute bickering dynamic both between romantic leads and bromantic couples. They did have a slump a few years ago when they produced some mediocre to unbearable dramas (that’s right, I’m looking at you, Big), but I think Hwayugi put them back on track.

Details on the Hong sisters’ next project have been sparse, and nothing about the plot has been revealed, but they’ve been shopping around for lead actresses since last year. There were rumors that Jeon Ji-hyun (Legend of the Blue Sea) might be stepping up to the plate, but I’m assuming she has refused because it looks like they want IU to be the lead instead.

Even earlier this year, I would have been hesitant about their choice of IU because of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, where her greenness really showed next to Lee Jun-ki. However, My Ajusshi changed my mind completely about her ability to take on more complex characters, and I’m looking forward to her next project, whether it be this Hong sister drama or something else.

The Hong sisters are teaming up with PD Oh Choong-hwan who directed SBS’s fantasy-melo While You Were Sleeping and medical rom-com Doctors for this new project. Kyaa, can’t wait!

Via Newsen

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Tags: Hong sisters, Hotel del Luna, IU

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1 Krampa

December 4, 2018 at 10:13 AM

I feel like her character in My Ajhussi was tailored to her so she was able to adapt and mold it to herself, but Hong Sisters have a rather diffeeent style of dramas so I hope IU can pull off the quirky/ funny character bc I loved her in Dream High, a rather non-serious role she played

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Flightey Gazelles

December 5, 2018 at 3:51 AM

My first exposure to her was in The Producers and even from her earliest scenes( when other people were complaining about monotone and blank voice), I found her to be really on track with her portrayal. I loved that woe-is-me, bored-by-life, too-tired-to-talk way she went about her way.

I was still new to Kdramas and didn't know any of the bigger stars, as a result, I wanted to smack Kim Soo Hyun's character and was utterly exasperated by both Gong Hyo Jin and Cha Tae Hyun's characters. But Cindy, I was immediately invested in her character. If you look carefully, you'd notice how nuanced her acting was even in that bored voice, like when she was looking at the mirror in her dressing room and car. I didn't watch Moon Lovers but from the recap, the writing for her character- and the whole show in general- plus the directing did not do her favours. Or maybe the character wasn't a good fit. I've since watched her in Dream High and I found her adorable. Yet to watch Ahjussi. But I'll admit, the O_O meme us hilarious!

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2 Miky

December 4, 2018 at 10:37 AM

Quite curious for updates on Hong Sisters next project,as many know they are prone to have a great project followed by a bad one so hope they break free from this stuff.I like IU and if the heroine is well written she can do a great job.Now,if she accepts,get her Jan Ki Young as her parter pretty please...

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Dru

December 4, 2018 at 5:52 PM

Oh yes,, Jang Ki Yong.. 😍😍
They look so cuuute together in her MVs... 💟💟

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3 javinne

December 4, 2018 at 10:40 AM

Ohhh Please, no. Not the hong sisters... no, no, no...
I know, after My Ajusshi it will be hard to something half so good (with it without the Hong sisters), but please, girl... you are great, choose wisely.
Don't choose the Hong sisters!

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news

December 4, 2018 at 5:02 PM

I've been waiting for her comeback and this is not it.

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4 egads aka Dame Maggie

December 4, 2018 at 10:54 AM

Please don't. Just please please don't.

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5 larelle79

December 4, 2018 at 10:57 AM

Why is it called a comeback when in a normal world it will be called a well deserved break between projects.

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Rukia wants melona

December 4, 2018 at 12:13 PM

You are so right.

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Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

December 4, 2018 at 12:48 PM

In South Korea, if you blink then it's a comeback when yours eyes reopen.

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fgb4877

December 4, 2018 at 2:50 PM

Dear Lord Cobol, a pleasure to read you again (even if I am the one who hasn't connected in a while). How are you?.

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Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

December 4, 2018 at 3:07 PM

Getting older every year... otherwise ok.

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fgb4877

December 4, 2018 at 5:37 PM

There is nothing wrong about getting older (considering the alternative) as long as one keeps getting wiser!.

Best regards.

larelle79

December 4, 2018 at 3:03 PM

😀😀😆😆😁

I love it.

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windsun33

December 5, 2018 at 9:53 AM

Because Korea.
You see the same thing in k-pop - every new song after a break is not a new song - it is a "comeback". Just like anytime an idol is seen in public with anyone other than a pet dog, it is a scandal.

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6 Bebe | Nessa❣️

December 4, 2018 at 10:58 AM

I hope Ji Eun passes on this... Not that the Hong Sisters are bad per se, but after coming off of “My Ahjusshi”, I think Ji Eun should be able to, and has the ability to, challenge herself more

Hong Sisters dramas aren’t bad, but have become romcom campy and have suffered for years in the sense that it’s characters aren’t written and fleshed out well/aren’t meaty enough/ aren’t introspective enough and are just ‘funny’ for the sake of being funny and because the drama is a romcom

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javinne

December 4, 2018 at 2:12 PM

Most of their dramas are either bad or too much unrealistic, or crazy (not in a good way), or they start relatively o.k., but half way through they suck, and the end is beyond stupid (cough, the Heirs, cough😒).
So, no... I don't want her, after the Gem My Ajusshi is, to ruin her quality by doing a Hong sisters project... no way.

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javinne

December 4, 2018 at 2:16 PM

My mistake, Heirs was not written by the Hong sisters, but still...their have their own quote of stupid endings in some other dramas! 😂😂😂😂😂

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windsun33

December 5, 2018 at 9:55 AM

They seem to be stuck in a formulaic rut. Not much new, just rearranging the old tropes and cliches.

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7 bogumlips

December 4, 2018 at 11:00 AM

Hong sisters....It could go either way.

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8 frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials

December 4, 2018 at 11:21 AM

I did not like Hwayugi. I don't know how to feel~

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fgb4877

December 4, 2018 at 2:54 PM

The last Hong Sister's Drama that was good was VERY GOOD (I am talking about Master's Sun). I hope they get their Mojo back. Personally my third Drama was My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (I loved it) and I still consider Master's Sun as one of the best series I have ever seen, but Mad & Boring (Warm & Cozy) almost single handedly destroyed my love for K-Dramas and Hwayugi didn't make me very happy.

So I am with you.

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bogumlips

December 4, 2018 at 6:52 PM

Big...I'm still pissed at those last 10 min.

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Niall Craig

December 5, 2018 at 7:15 AM

i think is about tastes because i loved "Warm And Cozy".

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fgb4877

December 5, 2018 at 9:44 AM

It is absolutely correct to love a Drama other people despise, sir. For me (who saw a deliciously truncated version) Orange Marmalade is one of the best Dramas I saw because it was about discrimination, how both the segregated and the segregating society loses, and with sound advice on how to deal with it (the "find another door" strategy was genius).

Also my first Drama was Gu Family Book, which I still enjoy.

By the way, what did you find interesting about Warm & Cozy?. Personally I saw a male lead who didn't let the female lead have a romantic relationship with him but also was jealous when she started separating from him and looking for another suitor (as we say in Venezuela, "ni lava ni presta la batea" -> he doesn't wash his clothes in the washboard nor let others use it). It unnerved me big way.

It also ran in circles like mad. In several places the show chomped its own tail, wailed over it, and then started to chase it all over again.

Oh well, those are my reasons ;)

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9 Cori

December 4, 2018 at 11:28 AM

The Hong Sisters get a yellow C A R D . Much as I'd love to see IU in a new drama, I hope she skips on this one.

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10 Rukia wants melona

December 4, 2018 at 11:51 AM

No! Don't do it!
'Doctors' was painful to watch. 'Hwayugi' was so uneven...
IU should do something better and more solid.
If they could create another 'You're Beautiful', perhaps. But I've become more wary of their dramas over the years...
*sigh*

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11 vipsky

December 4, 2018 at 12:04 PM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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12 WishfulToki

December 4, 2018 at 12:22 PM

Only if it’s with Lee Jun Ki! 😜

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13 fab

December 4, 2018 at 12:28 PM

I can't believe even Jeon Ji-hyun was also contender. Their dramas are an easy (re)watch but not much else unfortunately.

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14 missjb

December 4, 2018 at 2:38 PM

Please No!... You should line up to a more mature or serious roles after My Ajusshi, IU. Even if if it's light drama, something like starring in reply series is better than starring in Hong Sister Drama

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15 blissfulennaira

December 4, 2018 at 3:41 PM

I'm still in for a Hong Sisters drama.

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windsun33

December 5, 2018 at 9:57 AM

Their writing seems to be pretty uneven. Good one time, trash the next. Maybe it's time constraints on some.

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blissfulennaira

December 6, 2018 at 4:42 AM

Of all their dramas, I have a hard time watching Hong Gildong and Warm and Cozy.

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16 amara

December 4, 2018 at 4:13 PM

i cannot be the only person who couldn't get through my ahjussi because her acting was so emotionally shallow i couldnt keep watching. and nothing the hong sisters have done lately has been could so either a match made in heaven or...not

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amara

December 4, 2018 at 4:14 PM

ok i seem to be the only person in this thread who does so i feel kinda bad lol. i like watching her and her as a person but she is not a good actress imo

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JustMe

December 4, 2018 at 4:25 PM

Maybe you weren't as emotionally connected to it as I was, because I totally fell in love with her character and her acting ! (I haven't seen IU in anything else though!)

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amara

December 4, 2018 at 5:04 PM

maybe so. we all have different tastes with acting though and i guess for me it was just a very shallow delivery of a character that could have had more depth. alas

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egads aka Dame Maggie

December 4, 2018 at 4:20 PM

I thought Ji Eun was fantastic in My Ahjussi. In the beginning, the character was portrayed as extremely emotionally distant, and the gradual breaking down of her emotional barriers was only revealed by subtle changes in the actor's demeanor and facial expressions. We all see and react differently to individual actors and scripts, so I guess we'll disagree on her acting in My Ahjussi.

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amara

December 4, 2018 at 5:05 PM

i think i would have liked more depth than what i was given and i guess for me she isn't the one that could have given what is required out of this very specific and troubled character. but it's definitely a testament to how different people and their tastes are lol

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wapz

December 5, 2018 at 3:43 AM

I do think IU was good in MA but i say that relative to her performance in Moon Lovers. I don't think she deserved lesser place but I do tjink that she was hyped so much because somewhat maybe even sub consciously her acting was compared with her previous drama in which she was bad. Now that you put it here, I think maybe yes some other good actress could bring more depth to the character but I personally was satisfied with her delivery as well.

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wapz

December 5, 2018 at 3:43 AM

Praise* think* ...and many other typos.

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amara

December 5, 2018 at 8:53 AM

totally agree with you there. i have seen her in other things and i personally think it's kind of sad to see "dark roles fit her more" because she didn't have to put extra effort into this character as she was automatically gloomy. honestly, i think she gave it her all but her all just wasn't good enough and she's not a skilled thespian...that's fine lol. i know i'm not alienated or anything but i couldn't continue watching and not only for that reason but i do think the expectations and reality for this drama are a bit too high. for me in comparison to the acting on stranger (apples oranges in terms of content matter) it's light and day.

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wapz

December 5, 2018 at 9:06 AM

I did like MA alot though and found it was closer to reality in many aspects but yes when it comes to IU then gloomy/darker characters are done by her better because she is not in the line of cute/candy type characters. Which is why she is quite unfit for the Hong sisters drama type female lead.

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wapz

December 5, 2018 at 9:09 AM

How far did you watch MA though?

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amara

December 5, 2018 at 11:53 AM

i think episode 8 or 9 lol. it wasnt just her. for me it was excessively long and it didn't seem gloomy enough for the tone that was set. i also didn't like the actress/director story line and cannot watch the actress that played the actress (i forgot her name omg...but she isn't great.) so it was a bunch of things and then i just could not connect with the character and thought she was vacant so. i'm honestly surprised there seem to be very little people who aren't enamored by it but i guess some popular things evade and don't lord knows i've loved some really popular dramas lol

17 DramaLover

December 4, 2018 at 7:49 PM

If he agrees, who's his partner?

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18 DramaLover

December 4, 2018 at 7:50 PM

If she agrees, who's his partner?

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19 seoul_searcher

December 5, 2018 at 1:52 AM

It’s crazy but I always look forward to a Hong sisters drama because they provide me with that crack that I so desperately need every year. Last year I watched greatest love before hwayuki and I was so in love with it (mainly the actors carried it) that I was delighted that hwayuki had that added crackness from their previous shows. Not sure it is wise for IU to do a romcom after ‘my ahjussi’ especially one written by them but even if she signs on I’ll still look forward to it.

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20 oppafangirl

December 5, 2018 at 4:39 AM

no, just no, the PD also directs the new short series the hymn of death and its a disaster. He wasted LJS and SHS completely in it.

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21 jaderjylsk

December 5, 2018 at 5:22 AM

My Ahjussi is in my pedestal of greatest dramas of all time and I really loved how IU portrayed Ji-an's character. She was a very pleasant surprise in it.

After raising the bar, her next drama would be a test of whether IU has really come on her own, or whether My Ahjussi was a fluke and that maybe it was PD Kim Won-seok's magic touch. I really hope it's the former for her

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22 fiske

December 5, 2018 at 8:50 AM

My biggest regret of my first trip to Korea in 2010 was that IU performed at the end of semester festival for the University I was working at (POSTECH in Pohang) before she was widely known, and I didn't go to the festival. Would have been a cool story I had seen a Kpop star before she was famous.

On my second stint at POSTECH (2012) I made sure to go to the festival and it turned out to be some band that was popular in the 80s or 90s.

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23 moraine

December 5, 2018 at 8:37 PM

I don't think Hwayugi put them back on track. More like steered even more off-course. Hope they find a way back though. Someday.

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24 Isabel

December 6, 2018 at 9:12 AM

I like IU's acting, and her work in My Mister was so far my favorite from her and I honestly don't think I'd want her to take on a drama by the Hong Sister, the only drama they have I've liked is Master's Sun, and that was mostly due to GHJ and SJS so like, not really sure. If she accepts, please let her have a cool male lead.

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25 TJ

December 6, 2018 at 12:18 PM

Scarlet Heart remains, despite it's flaws one of my favorite recent dramas. I did not watch My Ajusshi because the May/December thing leaves me cold. I will watch IU in a drama again since I think she's cute and very much wrongly maligned for her acting skills. She had very much improved since she first began acting. She at least has the ability to generate chemistry with other actors. I can think of quite a few lead actresses that can't seem to do that.

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26 Elle

December 6, 2018 at 7:58 PM

I'm done with the Hong Sisters after back-to-back disasters Warm and Cozy and Hwayugi. I don't think IU should take this as a followup to the universally acclaimed My Ajusshi.

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27 judepps

December 13, 2018 at 5:34 AM

except for the 2 dramas Producer and My Ajusshi i skipped everything with IU. She was good in portraying as a Primadonna celebrity in Producer and in My Ajusshi as the dark persona she did pull it well. Hopefully this upcoming project he can pull the act as well.