Netflix K-drama Squid Game season 2 confirms Im Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, Jo Yu-ri and Park Sung-hoon – Korean drama casting latest
Squid Game is returning to Netflix, with Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun from the first series being joined by, among others, K-pop stars Im Si-wan and Jo Yu-ri
Meanwhile, Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy are joining forces for fantasy romance Everything Shall Come True, and Kim Hye-soo is eyeing the lead role in comedy Trigger
The world’s biggest streaming sensation is preparing to return with a roster of new and familiar faces, while the stars are aligning for what will surely be one of 2024’s biggest original projects.
Read on for more about these and other K-drama casting announcements.
1. Squid Game season 2
The cast of the hugely anticipated new season of Squid Game, the most successful Netflix series of all time, has finally been unveiled, ahead of a shoot scheduled for later this summer.
The first wave of announcements included the return of cast members Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun and Gong Yoo, and additions Im Si-wan (Run On) from the K-pop band ZE:A, Kang Ha-neul (When the Camellia Blooms), Yang Dong-geun (Connect) and Park Sung-hoon (The Glory).
Fans were quick to point out the lack of women among the cast but a second wave of casting announcements went some way towards balancing the gender ratio of the cast.
The new names include Sweet Home alumni Lee Jin-wook and Park Gyu-young, pop star Choi Seung-hyun (also known as Big Bang’s T.O.P.), Won Ji-an, who is currently appearing in HeartBeat, Jo Yu-ri of the K-pop band IZ*ONE, Kang Ae-sim (Divorce Attorney Shin), Lee David (Law School) and Roh Jae-won (Ditto).
Plot details remain thin, but season 2 is expected to launch at some point next year and will command a budget of over 100 billion won (US$76 million), by far the highest of any Korean TV series.
2. Beauty and the Devoted
Lim Soo-hyang (Woori the Virgin) and Ji Hyun-woo (Young Lady and Gentleman) have been approached to headline the KBS drama Beauty and the Devoted. Representatives for both stars confirm that they are positively considering offers to appear in the series.
Lim Soo-hyang (above, in a still from “Woori the Virgin”) has been approached to headline the KBS drama “Beauty and the Devoted”.
The story follows a down-and-out actress who tries to get back in the saddle with the help of a producer who harbours special feelings for her.
Beauty and the Devoted is the latest series by writer Kim Sa-kyung, who has worked with both actors before – Lim featured in her series Blow Breeze and Ji appeared in Young Lady and the Gentleman.
The drama is expected to begin airing in March 2024.
3. Trigger
Hyena actress Kim Hye-soo is considering an offer to headline the coming series Trigger, an office-set comedy-drama which will be directed by Yoo Sun-dong, the director of The Uncanny Counter, the hotly anticipated second season of which begins airing later in July.
Kim Hye-soo (above as Judge Sim Eun-seok in a still from “Juvenile Justice”) has been offered the lead in “Trigger”. Photo: Netflix
The series will take place in the investigative reporting bureau of a top broadcasting network. Kim has been offered the role of the bureau’s team leader. This principled character, who possesses a strong sense of justice, is reminiscent of the judicial protagonist she played in last year’s Netflix series Juvenile Justice.
Kim recently led the hit period drama Under the Queen’s Umbrella and will be seen on the big screen in the summer blockbuster Smuggling. Filming for Trigger is expected to begin in the second half of the year.
4. Everything Shall Come True
The K-drama horizon just got a little more dazzling with news of a major project uniting screen stars Kim Woo-bin (Our Blues) and Bae Suzy (Start-Up), popular writer Kim Eun-sook (Mr Sunshine) and hit director Lee Byeong-heon (Extreme Job).
Scheduled for release next year, Everything Shall Come True is a 12-episode fantasy romantic comedy about a haughty young woman, Ga-young, and a hot-headed genie trapped in a lamp. Ga-young releases the genie and the pair find themselves embroiled in a series of events as he grants her three wishes.
Kim Eun-sook recently scored a Netflix hit with The Glory, starring Song Hye-kyo, while Lee debuted his football film Dream with Park Seo-joon this spring.
Kim Woo-bin as 5-8 in a still from “Black Knight”. Photo: Kim Jin-young/Netflix
Kim Woo-bin headlined the recent Netflix sci-fi series Black Knight and Bae received the best reviews of her career for last year’s acclaimed drama Anna. He and Bae previously shared the screen in the 2016 drama Uncontrollably Fond.
