Dramabeans » IRIS

Dramabeans Podcast #5

javabeans — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:34:49 +0000

Time for another podcast! Here’s Numero 5…

In which javabeans and girlfriday discuss:

our Dream High–My Princess bet;
the upcoming 49 Days;
Return of Iljimae, how we miss it, and Jung Il-woo’s Mane of Glory;
our issues with Athena and IRIS;
My Princess, cuteness, and the dullness of bad villains;
Dream High, its awesomeness, and who we think K is;
and Uhm Tae-woong joining 1 Night 2 Days.

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Read the rest of Dramabeans Podcast #5 (80 words)

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Post tags: Athena, Dream High, featured, IRIS, My Princess, Return of Iljimae, The Duo

The IRIS franchise keeps chugging along

javabeans — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:57:26 +0000

A hit drama series. A not-quite-hit spinoff drama series. An upcoming sequel drama series. A movie version for the original. A movie version to the spinoff. A sequel drama series for the spinoff series. Overseas broadcasts and OST concerts. Where’s the end for the spy-action IRIS franchise?

I find it pretty amazing (astounding, really) that all this has been set in motion based on the success of ONE drama series. And sure, while its ratings were strong (39.9% at its peak), there have been many a higher-rated drama that didn’t attempt one-tenth the amount of milking-for-all-it’s-worth that Taewon Entertainment is doing with IRIS. Especially considering that the second series was a noticeable disappointment, despite loads of hype and a bevy of A-list stars (ratings have settled in the lower teens).

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Read the rest of The IRIS franchise keeps chugging along (373 words)

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Post tags: Athena, IRIS, IRIS 2, sequels

Kim So-yeon confirms Athena

girlfriday — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:43:32 +0000

Kim So-yeon has confirmed her guest stint on highly-anticipated IRIS spin-off Athena: Goddess of War. Round of applause! She’ll be reprising her IRIS role as kickass Northern intelligence agent Kim Sun-hwa, and will be joined by her commanding officer Park Chul-young, played by the awesome Kim Seung-woo.

These two were the runaway stars of IRIS for me, as I hardly cared about the other characters, and couldn’t get enough of these two. Looks like they’ll be stealing the limelight again, for however long they get to be around, anyway. The producers of Athena have been trying to score Kim So-yeon since the beginning, but she was unable to confirm because of her current drama, Dr. Champ. (Which she is great in. I can’t wait till they kick her romantic storyline with Jung Kyeo-woon up a notch.)

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Read the rest of Kim So-yeon confirms Athena (148 words)

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Post tags: Athena, IRIS, Kim Seung-woo, Kim So-yeon

IRIS agent(s) to return for Athena

javabeans — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:03:53 +0000

I say agent(s) because as soon as a slew of articles hit the net announcing this news, there was a contradictory one from Kim So-yeon‘s representatives denying it.

First, the news:

Two of IRIS‘s stars, Kim So-yeon and Kim Seung-woo, have reportedly signed on to reprise their characters in Athena. This comes despite the fact that Athena is only a spinoff of IRIS, not a sequel, so there wasn’t any expectation for the stories to overlap.

That means they’ll play the same roles as North Korean agents Park Chul-young and Kim Sun-hwa. The casting is reportedly finalized, according to Taewon Entertainment, the production company behind both dramas.

However:

I have seen one article refuting this news from Kim So-yeon’s side, saying that it is mistaken and that she has no plans to appear in Athena. Currently there are many, many more outlets reporting that she will, but I’d take that with a grain of salt. It’s more likely that Kim Seung-woo will, and that producers jumped the gun with Kim So-yeon. She has already signed on for her next project, Dr. Champ, and she is busy working on that series.

Via OSEN, Mk.co.kr

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Athena, IRIS, Kim Seung-woo, Kim So-yeon

IRIS 2 to follow Athena in 2011

javabeans — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:31:11 +0000

Although Athena: Goddess of War has been called IRIS 2, producers have specified that Athena is merely an IRIS spinoff, not a sequel. In actuality, another series bearing the title IRIS 2 is being produced as a separate drama and will be a true sequel. All three series — IRIS, IRIS 2, Athena — are produced by Taewon Entertainment. Yeah, this won’t get confusing.

Therefore, producers have begun pre-production work on the sequel and are currently in talks to bring back its stars Kim Tae-hee and Lee Byung-heon, as the new story will be set three years after the end of the original. IRIS 2 is aiming for a broadcast date of October 2011, so we’ll be seeing spinoff Athena first, which is aiming for a premiere later this year.

If you’re keen to avoid spoilers about IRIS, skip the rest of this paragraph. As previously noted, Lee Byung-heon will not be starring in the sequel series, so if he makes a reappearance, it’ll likely be a cameo, most likely in flashbacks. This isn’t surprising, given that his character was killed off in the last episode. The second season will deal with Hyun-joon’s death as well as the story of Baek San, who was arrested for his involvement with the IRIS organization, and the identity of the mysterious Mr. Black.

IRIS 2 plans to beginning shooting next March and is negotiating with all of the main cast; in addition to the two abovementioned leads, that includes Kim Seung-woo and Kim So-yeon. They are also considering adding new top stars.

Hm, can lightning strike twice for Taewon Entertainment? Thrice?

Via My Daily, Newsen

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 40 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Athena, IRIS, IRIS 2, sequels

Ha Ji-won denies IRIS 2 reports

javabeans — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:58:18 +0000

Hm, conflicting reports on this one. Although a few news outlets have reported that Ha Ji-won would take the lead in the IRIS sequel drama, Athena, the actress’s side has come out to say that this isn’t the case.

On the 19th, it was reported that the Taewon Entertainment CEO had said that they were in negotiations with Ha. In response, Ha’s management stated, “That is not at all true. She has a lot of other projects that she is deciding between. She has not discussed appearing in IRIS 2.”

Ha already has her next film project lined up, which reunites her with director Yoon Je-kyun from blockbuster disaster film Haeundae. She’ll begin filming in April. Athena, meanwhile, plans to begin filming in June in Italy, then Switzerland, followed by shoots in Singapore, New Zealand, and more overseas locations.

I’m not sure whether this is a serious denial, or just Ha’s side being careful not to jump to conclusions — often news reports will announce something before it’s finalized, and most of the time the issue goes on to be finalized anyway. But as we know, plans can often fall through and until both sides are willing to announce the news, ain’t nothing set in stone. However, merely mention of Ha Ji-won being considered for Athena gets me excited, because she would be PERFECT. She does sexy and intense better than most actresses of her generation, and I would put her and Kim Sun-ah as my two top picks for the role, with Ha edging out Kim. In fact, if she joins Jung Woo-sung and Cha Seung-won in this sequel, I’ll be much more excited about this drama than I ever was about its predecessor.

Via Joy News, Star News

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IRIS 2 unveils its leads

javabeans — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:17:00 +0000

Well well, now. Producers have announced the two lead stars of its anticipated IRIS 2: Hallyu star Jung Woo-sung and rising actor Cha Seung-won. The drama which will be produced under the title Athena, which is an international terrorist organization that provides the conflict in the sequel.

Jung plays the good guy, while Cha is the bad. Jung’s character is an agent with the national intelligence agency, named “Lee Jung-yuk”; like Lee Byung-heon’s character, he’s the top spy at the agency. Cha, on the other hand, is “Sohn Hyuk,” the “absolute leader” of Athena who trains his agents as human weapons.

Producers at Taewon Entertainment promise that they’ll be casting sufficiently noteworthy female stars and supporting actors, whom they will unveil in due time. Athena will begin filming in June in either Italy or Switzerland, two of a total of six overseas shoots that include Singapore and New Zealand. It plans for a premiere later this year.

When the rumors floated about Kwon Sang-woo’s interest in this drama, discussion pointed out that in order to live up to its predecessor, the drama would really have to go big in the casting, and it has done that with Jung Woo-sung. This is Jung’s first drama role in fifteen years; his last was 1995′s 1.5 with Shim Eun-ha. (Sidebar: omg, remember 1.5? Unintentional hilarity GALORE! The series was all about the “1.5 generation” of Korean-Americans, who feel caught between their mother country but have grown accustomed to living in the States. Good idea, bad execution.)

Cha Seung-won is another great pick; he’s had a number of film roles but didn’t really break out until City Hall, where he showed both intense charisma and an ability to portray some bad-guy behavior in a compelling way. If the female leads are as strong (at least stronger than Kim Tae-hee, although it’ll be hard to top Kim So-yeon), perhaps Athena will hold its own as a worthy sequel.

Via DongA, My Daily

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Post tags: Athena, Cha Seung-won, IRIS, Jung Woo-sung, sequels

IRIS: Episodes 19-20 (Final)

kaedejun — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:21:48 +0000

I thought a long time about how I wanted to start off this last recap for IRIS:

First off, I want to thank javabeans for giving me this opportunity to write a recap and contribute to her site. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity as an avid fan of her site and as a Korean drama lover.

Secondly, I’d like to thank everyone who has followed this series or read my recaps. I know I had a rough start, so I’m very thankful for those who stuck through with me on this.

And now, mushiness aside… the last episode ended with the death of Secretary Jung, and Hyun Joon and Sun Hwa chasing after Vic.

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Read the rest of IRIS: Episodes 19-20 (Final) (5,317 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 70 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: IRIS, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Seung-woo, Kim So-yeon, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Byung-heon, TOP

IRIS: Episode 18

kaedejun — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:14:23 +0000

Just when you thought things could only get better, it only drastically goes wrong. Why, you ask?

Well, of course! – We have two more episodes! (I promise – two-episode recap next time!) Therefore – we need a few more problems and obstacles before we bring the series to an end.

And so, let’s get back into the swing of things…just after Vic snaps the neck of our poor sweet Mi Jung…

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Read the rest of IRIS: Episode 18 (2,605 words)

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Post tags: IRIS, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Seung-woo, Kim So-yeon, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Byung-heon, TOP

IRIS: Episodes 16-17

kaedejun — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:44:32 +0000

I did say I was very hesitant to watch Episode 16 because of the spoiler that I saw in the previews, but it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought (more on that later, or skip to my comments section). Honestly, I think this series could end by episode 18, because it’s been unraveling so fast. Case in point: by episode 15 we know who is on whose side and the lines are set for battle, and all it took was an episode and a half to establish that.

We’ve reached the critical moment – will the North and South enter a nuclear war?

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Read the rest of IRIS: Episodes 16-17 (4,501 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: IRIS, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Seung-woo, Kim So-yeon, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Byung-heon, TOP