Swallow the Sun was never on my radar — I tried really hard to understand what was going on, but Episode 1 made my head hurt — but it has performed well throughout its run. (The story went all over the place (Vegas, Africa, Jeju Island), but I suppose it must have worked, Episode 1 notwithstanding.) It didn’t break 20%, and I’m not sure the blockbuster-action-melodrama lived up to the hype of being “All In 2,” but it did cap off with a series high this week with a finale episode at 18.8%.

The drama allowed SBS to claim Wednesdays and Thursdays this summer, but it may have been more of a benefit to its stars than the station; the three leads credit the drama for taking them another step further in their careers. Ji Sung, Lee Wan, and Sung Yuri have raised their profiles another notch, and spoke about their feelings as the drama wrapped.

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The drama’s lead, Ji Sung

The production of the new drama Swallow the Sun, which had recently been shut down after staffers came down with swine flu, is ready to get back to work: shooting resumes on July 11.

However, this will occur with one concession, which is an extension of the quarantine for the drama’s original crew members. According to instructions by the Center for Disease Control, staffers were to remain isolated at home until nighttime on the 11th. However, because of a relapse of the illness, the production has decided, in accordance with requests from those in Jeju Island and from the CDC, to extend its delay until the 13th. To work around this, new staffers will be brought in from Seoul to start filming on the afternoon of the 11th.

I agree with comments that the swine flu scare has generally been blown out of proportion, but I think the extended quarantine speaks to the public’s worries more than fears of actual contagion. As one production rep explained, “The team currently sequestered in Jeju Island will for the time being continue to be sequestered so as not to cause misunderstandings with the country’s citizens and Jeju residents.”

A pre-show special for Swallow the Sun aired this Wednesday, followed by Episode 1 on Thursday. I haven’t seen it yet (it’s downloaded, ready to be watched, though) but it pulled in a pretty decent first showing with a 14.8% rating, which beat out both Partner and Triple. But first episode numbers are often misleading, so we’ll see the real competition heat up next week.

Via Star News

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Eep! The team working on SBS’s new big-budget Wednesday-Thursday drama Swallow the Sun has been hit by swine flu as four crew members have tested positive for the illness.

With only a day (and a half) left before its July 8 premiere, the production has been advised by health officials to prioritize the health of the public at large over its shooting schedule, and has decided to cut its planned July 7 production press conference.

The cast and crew had left for Las Vegas on June 14 for overseas shoots and returned to Korea on July 2. Among the staff, one member had been suffering from a cold and body aches before leaving on the trip, and still suffered from fever upon return. After being tested for swine flu, the results came back positive and the staffer is currently quarantined in Incheon.

Furthermore, the team that had traveled to film in Jeju Island last month reconvened with the team returning from the States to continue filming. After the first staffer tested positive, the rest of the crew submitted themselves for tests at a health clinic in Jeju and carefully resumed filming, accompanied by several medical professionals. However, results came back on July 6 confirming that three more crew members had tested positive for swine flu and filming has now completely stopped. Those three are receiving medical treatment in Jeju. The Swallow the Sun team is following the instructions set forth by the Center for Disease Control, particularly with regard to keeping separate from the general populace, and are confining themselves to their homes to keep worries at bay.

Meanwhile, the actors (which include Ji Sung, Sung Yuri, Lee Wan, Yoo Oh-sung) expressed some concerns over the production delay but said, “The drama is important, but more important is to put the people’s health first, so even if it hinders our production we’ve had to shut down.”

The producers are taking an optimistic line, saying, “We have shot parts already that can air, so the broadcast will proceed without problems. We plan to resume filming after this situation has passed, so don’t worry too much.”

Swallow the Sun will not hold its July 7 pre-show press conference, and will air a special on the 8th, followed by the first episode on the 9th.

Via TV Report

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• Prime-time battle of the ex-FinKL stars
• Sung Yuri stalkers fans, take note
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• All In gets a sequel

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Ji Sung and Sung Yuri are heading to Las Vegas for the latest shoots of their upcoming SBS drama Swallow the Sun [태양을 삼켜라] (aka the All In sequel).

The actors and crew left Korea for the States on June 16, and plan to shoot there for approximately two weeks. This is the drama’s second overseas location shoot, following their end-of-March trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

In the drama, Sung Yuri plays a successful international concert/event planner, whose first job comes as part of the planning team at Vegas’ Cirque Du Soleil show. Co-stars Yoo Oh-sung and Lee Wan also traveled to the Vegas shoot, where all four characters meet and begin their “intertwining fates.”

Swallow the Sun is planning for 24 episodes and follows City Hall on Wednesdays and Thursdays in July.

Via Newsen

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• Swallow the Sun preps for July premiere
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Yoo Oh-sung

Swallow the Sun [태양을 삼켜라] has something of a puzzling name (imo), although I suppose it’s more evocative than the “All In 2″ it’s been dubbed (due to the reuniting of the PD and scriptwriter from the original All In). It’s also another of the highly anticipated summer dramas (although not so much for me), and will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays on SBS.

The drama features a pretty extensive cast list (see below), headed by Ji Sung (New Heart), Lee Wan (Insoon Is Pretty), and Yoo Oh-sung (Invisible Man Choi Jang-soo), who play close friends since their UDT (underwater demolition) training days. The ladies include Sung Yuri and Go Doo-shim.

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