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Lee Byung-heon, potential Joseon king

javabeans — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:31:18 +0000

Lee Byung-heon is currently in the States filming his next Hollywood project, G.I. Joe 2, but a few reports are making the rounds that he’s eyeing a historical film for his next project, I Am the Joseon King.

It would be his first sageuk role, which initially surprised me since you’d figure that anybody who’s been in the business for as many years and projects as Lee has would’ve scored a historical drama or movie at some point. But thinking on it, I’m mostly used to seeing him in action movies or dark thrillers, like A Bittersweet Life, JSA, The Good The Bad The Weird, IRIS, I Saw the Devil…

According to the CEO of Realize Pictures, which is producing the film, the casting is very close to being finalized, with a rep from investor CJ E&M stating that Lee’s casting likelihood was “higher than ever.” (Lee’s side is more circumspect, unsurprisingly, stating that he’s considering the role but hasn’t decided, etc etc etc).

If he takes the movie, Lee would play Gwanghaegun, the 15th-century king also known as Prince Gwanghae… who meets a low-born man who looks exactly like him. Oh, are we literally doing Prince and the Pauper now? I’m fairly certain this would be a dramatic piece, perhaps akin to The Man in the Iron Mask, but I can’t help imagining a bumbling farce replete with the citizen being treated to royal makeover and the king falling in love with a pretty girl fron the village. (No doubt the Cinderella Man mental association doesn’t help, where Kwon Sang-woo played two roles in the modern-day version of the Prince/Pauper.) Hm. Now I’m interested. Can we make this a comedy, please?

Filming scheduling has yet to be determined for I Am the Joseon King; likely it’s contingent on Lee’s busy schedule. He plans to be done with G.I. Joe 2 filming by mid-December, which is looking at a summer 2012 release in the U.S.

Via Newsen

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47th Baeksang Arts Awards

javabeans — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:20:28 +0000

It’s too bad that Hyun Bin was missing from the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, since he and his drama picked up a bunch of awards. (Alas, there’s that whole mandatory military thing.)

Not only did he grab a Daesang in the TV portion (film Daesang went to Lee Byung-heon for his thriller I Saw the Devil), both his projects won awards as well: Tang Wei for film Late Autumn, who’s pictured above with Ha Ji-won, his co-star in Secret Garden, which won top honors for the drama category. Looks like he’s on a roll, even in absentia. Do the Marines allow celebratory Baeksang parties for their celeb enlistees? Surely he earned a drink or two, at least.

The awards were held on the evening of May 26 in Seoul, and hosted by actors Ryu Shi-won (Style) and Kim Ah-joong (Sign).

WINNERS LIST

FILM SECTION

Daesang: Lee Byung-heon (I Saw the Devil)
Best Picture: Ajusshi (The Man From Nowhere)
Director: Lee Chang-dong (Poetry)
Top Excellence, Actor: Ha Jung-woo (The Yellow Sea)
Top Excellence, Actress: Tang Wei (Late Autumn)
New Actor: Choi Seung-hyun (TOP) (Into the Fire)
New Actress: Shin Hyun-bin (He’s On Duty)
New Director: Kim Young-taek (Hello Ghost)
Screenplay: Yook Sang-hyo (He’s On Duty)
Popularity Award, Actor: Choi Seung-hyun (TOP) (Into the Fire)
Popularity Award, Actress: Park Shin-hye (Cyrano Dating Agency)

TV SECTION (...)
Read the rest of 47th Baeksang Arts Awards (1,697 words)

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Post tags: awards, Cha Tae-hyun, Go Hyun-jung, Ha Ji-won, Ha Jung-woo, Han Hyo-joo, Hong Su-ah, Hwang Jung-eum, Hyun Bin, Ji Chang-wook, Jo Ahn, Jo Hyun-jae, Jo Yeo-jung, Jung Bo-seok, Jung Il-woo, Jung Yong-hwa, JYP, Kim Ah-joong, Kim Nam-joo, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Min-jung, Lee Shi-young, Lee Su-geun, Micky Yoochun, Min Hyo-rin, Moon Geun-young, Nam Gyuri, Park Ha-sun, Park Min-young, Park Shin-hye, Ryu Shi-won, Seo Young-hee, Shin Hyun-bin, Song Joong-ki, Suzy, Taecyeon, TOP, Yoo Inna, Yoon Shi-yoon

Lee Byung-heon’s black and white High Cut shoot

javabeans — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:12:00 +0000

Lee Byung-heon (IRIS) sort of looks the same in every single photo shoot he’s ever taken… But when you look as good as he does — and for so many years, without seemingly aging — who needs variety?

(Seriously, he turns 41 this year, and he still looks just like he did in A Bittersweet Life, and All In, and Addiction… What’s in the water he’s drinking?)

He’s also the cover guy for the upcoming issue of High Cut magazine, looking alternately emo-broody (guyliner alert!) and quirky (I think I’m finally coming ’round on those large round glasses that are so in right now). Lee just signed on to be the new CF/brand model for men’s lifestyle channel XTM and has the upcoming shoots for G.I. Joe 2 on his slate, so he’ll be keeping plenty busy for the foreseeable future. He said of the movie, “This sequel’s narrative is even more lively than the first movie, and the script really hooks you. I’m looking forward to it.”

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Read the rest of Lee Byung-heon’s black and white High Cut shoot (45 words)

GQ’s leading men round-up

girlfriday — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:11:37 +0000

Somebody was kind enough to round up four of dramaland’s top leading men in a spread for GQ Korea. To be more specific, the shoot features Song Seung-heon (My Princess), Jung Woo-sung (Athena), Lee Byung-heon (IRIS), AND Kwon Sang-woo (Daemul) in a veritable who’s who of eye candy icons. How sweet of GQ to line ‘em up for us. Saves a girl the trouble of making multiple stops. ‘Cause you know, what’s the point in choosing when you can have all four?

Everyone’s looking sharp, although Jung Woo-sung looks a little sad, perhaps because they stuffed a tiny dog down his shirt. I…have no explanation for that. Doggie seems pretty happy about it though. Kwon Sang-woo is sporting a freshly shorn look for his new movie Pain [통증], where he plays a man who can’t feel pain, alongside Jung Ryeo-won, whose character has the opposite medical condition, making her extremely sensitive to pain, and the two fall in love. Directing is Kwak Kyung-taek, PD on the drama version of Friend, Our Legend.

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Read the rest of GQ’s leading men round-up (200 words)

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Post tags: Jung Woo-sung, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Byung-heon, photo shoots, Song Seung-heon

From I Saw the Devil to Hollywood

javabeans — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:01:13 +0000

Dark thriller I Saw the Devil was one of the past summer’s hit films, and one of five Korean films to screen at the latest Toronto Film Festival. Coincidentally enough, all three of its major players are now looking at Hollywood prospects simultaneously, though not with each other. (Those three are actors Lee Byung-heon and Choi Min-shik and director Kim Jee-woon.)

And by “Hollywood project,” we don’t mean no-name projects that are hyped by the Korean press that nobody ever hears about; there are some impressive names involved in the following movies:

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Read the rest of From I Saw the Devil to Hollywood (407 words)

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Post tags: Choi Min-shik, Hollywood, Kim Jee-woon, Lee Byung-heon

Toronto invites five Korean films

girlfriday — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:28:12 +0000

The 35th Toronto International Film Festival has invited five Korean films this year, and anticipation is high. Poetry, The Housemaid, I Saw the Devil, Oki’s Movie, and Late Autumn (Manchu) will be all be launching their North American premieres in Toronto.

Director Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid was invited as the gala film, and will capitalize on all the mixed reviews from Cannes, which has generated an interesting buzz for the film. Or perhaps it’s just the nudity. Either way, this is the one people will be talking about. The Housemaid is a dramatic thriller of an affair gone wrong, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, and Seo Woo.

Poetry, which won the prize for Best Screenplay at Cannes, will be featured in the Master Section. Directed by Lee Chang-dong and starring Yoon Jung-hee, Poetry is a film about a woman who fights Alzheimer’s by learning to write her own poems.

Both The Housemaid and Poetry are looking at Toronto as forays into the Oscars, and expectations are high for both productions to represent Korea in the foreign film category if things go their way.

I Saw the Devil, starring Lee Byung-heon and Choi Min-shik, was invited as a Special Presentation film. Directed by The Good, The Bad, The Weird‘s Kim Ji-woon, it’s a dark thriller about a secret service agent who goes after his wife’s killer.

Late Autumn and Oki’s Movie were both invited in the Contemporary World Cinema category, which showcases newer directors who are leading the pack in their respective countries.

Late Autumn stars Hyun Bin and Tang Wei in a story about a man on the run and a woman on a leave from prison, and their brief love affair. The remake, directed by Kim Tae-yong, is being hailed as a global project, a successful multi-national co-production.

Oki’s Movie, directed by Hong Sang-soo and starring Lee Seon-kyun and Jung Yumi, is about film student and her quirky relationship with a classmate. This one looks adorable. And y’all know how I feel about Lee Seon-kyun. Swoon.

The 35th Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 9-19.

Via Star News

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Post tags: Choi Min-shik, Hyun Bin, Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Yumi, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Seo Woo

Never mind, Lee Byung-heon’s lawsuit revived

javabeans — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:00:02 +0000

Just after the court decided that the civil suit filed against actor Lee Byung-heon was withdrawn due to the plaintiff’s lack of action, they received paperwork in the mail from Lee’s accuser, Ms. Kwon, requesting another trial.

Kwon had returned to Canada last December and has not been back to Korea since, missing two hearings, one on April 22 and another on May 20, leading the the court to close the case on June 21. However, they then found that Kwon’s paperwork had come in that day (the last permissible day), reopening the suit in which she requested compensation of 100 million won for psychological damages incurred by Lee’s false promises and sexual misconduct.

Before this latest development, a source with Lee’s management, BH Entertainment, had stated, “We honor the decision of the court. [Lee] has suffered emotionally, but it seems this burden will be relieved.”

The next trial is scheduled for July 14. If Kwon does not appear, the suit will automatically be withdrawn and the case will be closed.

Via My Daily

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Lee Byung-heon’s legal troubles at an end

javabeans — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:43:54 +0000

After more than six months, Lee Byung-heon‘s legal woes have been resolved cleanly after the suit filed against him by ex-girlfriend Ms. Kwon has been withdrawn. The court closed the matter after judging that Kwon no longer intends to pursue the suit after she missed two hearings and failed to request a new pleading date; she returned to Canada at the end of last year and has made no effort to continue her case.

Not only does this free Lee from legal entanglements, the records of the case are essentially purged and will not be retained, making this lawsuit — at least in the eyes of the law — disappear as though it never happened.

A brief refresher: On December 8, 2009, Kwon filed a civil suit against the star, accusing him of luring her into a sexual relationship with false promises of marriage. She demanded 100 million won in compensation, and later also accused Lee of illegal gambling while filming overseas. She released photographs of the two together to prove that she was telling the truth about being in a relationship with Lee. He was also the target of blackmail by men connected with Kwon who threatened to make a stink if he didn’t pay up. He refused, and countersued for defamation. In the spring, he was cleared by the court of gambling charges.

Good news for Lee! Now he can focus on work; his upcoming thriller I Saw the Devil (from The Good, The Bad, The Weird director Kim Ji-woon) will be released later this summer.

Via E Daily, Seoul.co.kr

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Jang Dong-gun marries Go So-young

javabeans — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:57:02 +0000

On May 2, Jang Dong-gun married fellow actress Go So-young, and given Jang’s status as one of Korea’s most popular (and most loved) actors, the wedding was pretty much the equivalent of a fancy awards ceremony red carpet. There were approximately 500 (!) guests in attendance.

The wedding took place at Seoul’s Silla Hotel, which was preceded by a press conference (the ceremony itself was not open to the public or press).

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Read the rest of Jang Dong-gun marries Go So-young (704 words)

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Post tags: Ahn Sung-ki, Cha Seung-won, Go Jun-hee, Go So-young, Gong Hyung-jin, Ha Ji-won, Han Jae-seok, Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Min-hee, Kim Min-jong, Kim Nam-gil, Kim Nam-joo, Kim Seung-woo, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Hye-young, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Yong-woo, Oh Man-seok, Oh Yeon-soo, Park Joong-hoon, Rain, Shin Mina, So Ji-sub, Sohn Ji-chang, Sohn Tae-young, Song Seung-heon, weddings

First stills from Lee Byung-heon’s I Saw the Devil

javabeans — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:51:04 +0000

I Saw the Devil is the new film from The Good, The Bad, The Weird director Kim Ji-woon, starring Lee Byung-heon and Choi Min-shik, and has released its first still shots. The film began shooting earlier this month on February 6.

Director Kim has made a number of films in different genres, and again tries his hand at a new one: his 2000 film The Foul King was a comedy; 2003′s A Tale of Two Sisters was psychological horror; 2005′s A Bittersweet Life was noir; and 2008′s The Good, The Bad, The Weird a “kimchi Western.” I Saw the Devil is his first thriller (though one could argue there were thriller elements in his previous films), as well as being his third time working with Lee Byung-heon.

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Read the rest of First stills from Lee Byung-heon’s I Saw the Devil (180 words)

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Post tags: Choi Min-shik, Lee Byung-heon