News bites: August 1, 2015

by awcoconuts

• The production team for Jang Young-shil really wanted Song Il-kook (Fermentation Family), and they finally got him. Song will play the titular character in KBS’s upcoming winter sageuk. Production had to coordinate with the team at Superman Returns, the variety show that Song and his triplets are staples of, but the two parties were eventually able to come to an agreement. The drama will tell the story of one of Korea’s greatest inventors, from his discovery by King Sejong and promotion into the royal palace to his eventual fall from grace and banishment. Jang Young-shil is expected to debut in January. [TV Report]
• D.O. (boy, has he had a creepy guest role in I Remember You) is positively considering a leading role in the movie Hyung (a working title). If he accepts, his character would be the younger of two brothers, and the victim of an unfortunate accident. The “human story” film will be directed by Kwon Soo-kyung (Barefoot Ki-bongie) and written by Yoo Young-ah (Gift of Room 7). [Xports News]


D.O., Kim Dong-joon

• ZE:A’s Kim Dong-joon (Mandate of Heaven) has been cast as the lead in a joint American-Korean film called Dead Again. About the downfall of a person who is obsessed with love, the psychological horror story will simultaneously be released in Korea and the States and will be directed by Dave Silverman. Cameras will begin rolling next month and the movie has a target release date in the first half of 2016. [Osen]
• The bad news: There’s still no progress on the making of a second season of Bad Guys. The good news: OCN really, really wants it to happen — basically, it was the show that turned everything around for the network and proved to them that they could continue doing the type of investigative and gritty-crime programming that they love. (The finale of Bad Guys reached 4.3% in viewership and the show single-handedly increased advertising revenues for the cable channel.) A season two is sure to happen at some point, but a rep for OCN admits it won’t be easy getting the dream team back together, as writer Han Jung-hoon is currently working on a different project and the five main cast members have busy and conflicting schedules. [Xports News]


Song Jae-rim, Hwang Seung-un

• Song Jae-rim (Unkind Women, Surplus Princess) and Hwang Seung-un (Let’s Eat 2) are finalizing negotiations to appear as the leads in a web drama about… volleyball? Dugeun Dugeun Spike (dugeun dugeun = the sound a thumping heart makes) will be the first-ever domestic drama about volleyball, and the premise sounds sweet and fun. In it, a team and their coach will give their all in hopes of victory, and along the way, they’ll confirm their friendships with each other and develop teamwork. The youth drama will show us glimpses of real sportsmanship and heart-pounding romance, and it will be directed by Kim Jin-young (Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit). Filming begins this month and the total length will be 300 minutes, but there are no decisions yet on how many or how long each episode will be. [Joongang]


Baek Sung-hyun, Yeo Min-joo

• KBS has a new drama special coming out in which Baek Sung-hyun (Beloved Eun-dong) will play a hero. In Live Shock, Baek’s in charge of a popular internet cafe. He gets asked to join a live debate program as a panel member, but during the broadcast, a threatening call comes in: “If the show ends, all the hostages will die.” Through an audition process, rookie actress Yeo Min-joo has won the part of a newbie reporter who is desperate for exclusive scoops. She appears heodang, but when it comes down to critical moments, she proves her merit. Anyone else getting Liar Game-lite vibes from this? Live Shock airs August 14. [TV Report 1, 2]

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