The movie 71 had first caught my interest for starring young actors Kim Bum and Yoo Seung-ho as student soldiers in wartime, but problems arose when the movie encountered budget issues and the like. The stars dropped out and the production halted for an extended period. Now, the project has changed production companies and been revived with a new title and new stars: TOP and Kwon Sang-woo will be meeting onscreen as the two leads of Into the Gunfire [포화 속으로].

The old title referred to a real incident during the Korean war when North Korean soldiers had invaded and 71 South Korean students had banded together to defend their home (in Pohang, Gyeongsang-do). Kim Bum’s former character had risen to lead the students in the pivotal battle.

With this new casting, Kwon Sang-woo plays a man who enlists in the military after being suspected in a murder and volunteers for the student forces; TOP plays another, more junior student soldier. Actors Cha Seung-won (City Hall) and Kim Seung-woo (IRIS) are in contention for other roles: Cha as a North Korean officer and Kim as a lieutenant leading the 71 young soldiers. Directing is Lee Jae-hwan of A Moment to Remember and writing is Lee Man-hee of A Turtle Runs.

(I’ve made the joke before, but this time I’m honestly perplexed: Does Kwon Sang-woo really not know what his image and/or generation is? I’m not saying that a man can’t take leading roles with younger actors, because Kwon can totally still do the sexy leading man thing. But the role in question is of a student and had previously been filled by Kim Bum — thirteen years younger is a big leap, even if the character has been tweaked. I’m puzzled.)

The film will begin shooting at the end of November or early December, and plans for a mid-2010 release.

Via Now News, Hankook Ilbo

RELATED POSTS

• Where Kim Bum leads, Yoo Seung-ho follows

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 32 Comments →

I’m still not sure how I feel about this drama, and whether I want to recap it through the end. I enjoy watching it, and I will keep watching it, but… I was kind of bored this episode. After a nice beginning, this episode felt like a re-cobbling together of shows I’ve seen before. (I’ve seen Alias, I’ve seen 24.) For all the excitement of the plot — spies, plots, assassins, secret missions — it felt kind of ordinary, in a way. On the upside, it looked great and the plot unfolded smoothly. Which is why I think it’s interesting that I felt let down.

SONG OF THE DAY

IRIS OST – “잊지 말아요” (Don’t Forget) by Baek Ji-young [ Download ]

IRIS Episode 2 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 41 Comments →

Looks like each of the characters in the main cast of spy drama Iris [아이리스] is getting his/her moment in the spotlight. With a name like Lee Byung-heon in the cast, it’s no surprise he gets most of the attention, as does his CF queen leading lady Kim Tae-hee, but this is one solid supporting cast.

First up: Kim So-yeon (Gourmet). Kim cut off her long hair to play Kim Sun-hwa, a North Korean spy who shows off lots of fierce action skills.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 40 Comments →

Upcoming spy drama Iris has had the same poster forever (you know, this one) so it’s nice to see them come out with a new look, just a month before its October premiere on KBS. This image is a little more active than the first one (which was fairly static) and shows a little more personality for each cast member. They are, from left to right: Jung Jun-ho, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Byung-heon, Kim So-yeon, Kim Seung-woo, and TOP.

The action-, betrayal- and romance-packed new drama is set in the world of the NSS, or Korea’s national security agency, and the agents who work within it. With a lot of hype and a production budget of 20 billion won, hopefully this’ll be a better expression of the spy drama genre than, say, 2007’s tepid Air City, in which Lee Jung-jae played an NIS (National Intelligence Service) agent. (Hopefully Korea has learned their lesson about producing dramas around buildings.)

The 20-episode Iris takes the Wednesday-Thursday slot over from My Fair Lady beginning October 14.

Via Arts News

RELATED POSTS

• Iris to be produced as a manhwa
• Iris gets a slot on the KBS schedule
• New posters for Iris
• Iris takes temporary break between overseas shoots
• Iris gets a drama and a movie

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 65 Comments →

KBS’s “blockbuster action spy drama” IRIS [아이리스] is scheduled to premiere in October, but even before it unveils itself to the public, it has confirmed that it is producing another iteration: a manhwa by well-known manhwa-ka Lee Hyun-sae.

The decision to publish the new manhwa comes after negotiations between the drama’s production company, Taewon Entertainment, and writer Lee’s agency, Creek & River. The manhwa version will be set in the same world as the television series, but will follow different plotlines unique to the manhwa. The details of publication are still being worked out.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 17 Comments →