Bae Suzy, Kim Ji-won eyed for new K-drama productions; Beyond Evil stars find new roles
- Bae Suzy is slated to play a woman with a delusional disorder in Coupang Play’s The Second Anna, and Kim Ji-won and Lee Min-ki will appear in My Liberation Day
- Signal’s Kim Hye-soo looks to be returning to period drama, while Kwak Dong-yeon of Vincenzo will be seen in Monstrous, co-written by Train to Busan’s director
A flurry of major Korean drama casting announcements have come in the past few weeks. Many are for new and original series from streaming services as they step up their audience growth efforts in South Korea and challenge existing terrestrial broadcasters and cable channels.
Beyond the Memory
Following his acclaimed turn in the hit series Behind Evil, Shin Ha-kyun has lined up his next role in the TVing original series Beyond the Memory, which will see him join forces with The King and the Clown director Lee Joon-ik, one of the biggest names in Korean film.
The series is a major departure for Lee, who is known for making period dramas and who has not directed for television before. Beyond the Memory is said to be a science-fiction series set in the future and centred around virtual reality. It will be a mid-form drama, with episodes clocking in at under an hour each. Shin and Lee were recognised in the recent Baeksang Arts Awards, for Beyond Evil and The Book of Fish respectively.
Monstrous
Prolific director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) has his name attached to yet another project – he is co-writing the upcoming TVing original Monstrous, along with Ryu Yong-jae, known for Netflix’s My Holo Love.
The show will revolve around an archaeologist who attempts to solve a mysterious case. Actor Koo Gyo-hwan, who appeared in Yeon’s 2020 film Peninsula, has been approached to star in Monstrous, while Kwak Dong-yeon, who appeared in Netflix series Vincenzo, has been confirmed for the cast.
Directing the series will be indie darling Jang Kun-jae, known for Sleepless Night and A Midsummer’s Fantasia. The series producer is Climax, the company behind Yeon’s upcoming Netflix show, Hellbound.
Cleaning Up
Yum Jung-ah (SKY Castle) and Yeom Hye-ran (The Uncanny Counter) are being courted to star in a Korean remake of the British series Cleaning Up, which was initially broadcast as a six-part series on television network ITV in 2019. The series would see the actresses play an office cleaner and her friend.