Song Seung-heon and Lee Min-ki have been cast as the leads of a Korean remake of Hong Kong noir film A Better Tomorrow, the classic 1986 John Woo crime thriller that starred Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, and Ti Lung.

The remake, Invincible [무적자], boasts a blockbuster budget of more than 10 billion won and comes from film company Fingerprint, which bought the rights to remake the film in 2006. At the time, director Jang Hyung-soo was attached; he is known for films like Rules of the Game and Everybody Has Secrets. However, now directing is Song Hae-sung of Maundy Thursday and Failan. Director Song and Song Seung-heon are reteaming after having once worked together a decade ago in 1999’s Calla. The film has been invested in by Japan’s Formula Entertainment, making this a multinational production that plans to release simultaneously throughout Asia.

Song Seung-heon will take the role originally acted by Chow Yun-fat, while Lee Min-ki takes Leslie Cheung’s. Ti Lung and Waise Lee’s roles are currently being cast. While the original was set in the Hong Kong gangster underworld, the remake features a North Korean defector who settles in the South and gets caught up in the world of organized crime.

This is Song Seung-heon’s next project after his drama comeback met with widespread success in East of Eden. Lee Min-ki, meanwhile, has had a great year with blockbuster Haeundae (as well as smaller films like Oishii Man) and also put out his first solo album.

Invincible hopes to begin filming at the end of the year in order to release in 2010.

Via My Daily

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I have no idea what exactly it is that actor Song Seung-heon (East of Eden) is doing holding onto two dangling pieces of string in a dark cave while flexing his abs, but I suppose that’s hardly the point. Well, aside from the flexing abs part of it.

These new photos take on the theme of “a man journeying to find himself” for the September issue of fashion mag W, and will also adorn the cover (though probably not this shot).

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Good news for fans of Song Seung-heon! Expect him to be back in another acting role before the year is out — although it won’t be on television. The East of Eden actor, who enjoyed a tremendous amount of popularity and support for his television comeback in that series, has announced his plans to take on a film role in the latter half of this year, which he’ll precede with a photo spread.

He explained his plans in a press conference on the 18th in Akasaka, Japan. Song had a lot of good words to say about his role in Eden, describing it as a “180 turnaround from my previous image,” as well as praise for his co-star Jo Min-ki, whom he described as completely opposite of his hateful drama character once the cameras were off. He also said, “For now I’m planning to do non-drama work, and I’m thinking to take on a new drama series sometime early next year.”

The interview with Song will be broadcast in more extended form on July 20 and 21 on OBS TV’s program Special Entertainment News [독특한 연예뉴스].

Via OSEN

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• Kissing Couple Song Seung-heon and Han Ye-seul
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• Presenting the cast of East of Eden

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Soon after the pairing of top stars Won Bin and Shin Mina as a kissing couple for coffee brand Maxim, another high-profile pairing is being used to push a product: Song Seung-heon (East of Eden) and Han Ye-seul (Tazza) are showing off some affection in their new ad for LG’s Whisen air conditioner.

The article practically reads like ad copy (seriously, do these reporters just regurgitate press releases or what?), but the gist is that the commercial was recently filmed at the Yangpeyong English Village (which, you may recall, is the setting for some of the Shinhwa High School scenes from Boys Before Flowers). It features the two actors embracing affectionately and ends with a kiss (albeit only one on the forehead).

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With East of Eden finally heading to its close this week — Tuesday will broadcast its final episode — the drama’s stars Song Seung-heon and Yeon Jung-hoon gave a closing press conference on the afternoon of Monday, March 9, at Seoul’s Lotte Hotel.

Since I haven’t been covering this drama in detail, you can consider this your East of Eden Open Thread — which means, feel free to comment on anything/everything Eden-related. (I’d done a similar open thread when Tazza ended, although I forgot to keep doing these when other dramas wrapped.)

SONG OF THE DAY

East of Eden OST – “Crazy Woman” by Kim Yeon-ji [ Download ]

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