IU, Park Bo-gum team up for Jeju Island-set period K-drama; Song Kang, Kim Yoo-jung in talks for fantasy romance – K-drama casting latest

IU and Park Bo-gum are set to appear in You Have Done Well, set in the 1950s, while Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung are in talks to star in fantasy romance My Demon
Meanwhile, Krystal Jung and Song Seung-heon return for a new season of 2018 series Player; Jang Gyu-ri, of K-pop group Fromis 9, and Oh Yeon-seo, join the cast

A couple of tantalising romantic pair-ups between major Korean stars are among this week’s latest K-drama casting rumours, as well as some intriguing female-led psychological dramas.

Meanwhile, with the expected second season of Netflix’s Juvenile Justice cancelled a few days ago, drama executives have seen fit to revive a different show, five years after it first aired, and will combine new and returning stars.

Here is our latest round-up of these and other Korean drama series casting stories.

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1. You Have Done Well

Lee Ji-eun (aka IU) and Park Bo-gum will reportedly team up in new drama You Have Done Well. The series will be directed by Kim Won-seok, who previously directed IU in My Mister, with a script by When the Camellia Blooms writer Im Sang-choon.

The story will be set on South Korea’s Jeju Island in the 1950s, and will focus on the lives of Ae-soon and Gwan-sik, played by Lee and Park, respectively.

Also cast in the series are Moon So-ri (On the Verge of Insanity) and Park Hae-joon (The World of the Married), who will play older versions of the same characters.

Ae-soon is a bookworm who can’t attend school because of her poor family but tenaciously hangs onto her dream of becoming a poet, while Gwan-sik is the quiet and diligent young man who supports her.

Lee is coming off her acclaimed turn in Broker by Hirokazu Koreeda, screened at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, while Park was last seen in the hit series Record of Youth.

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2. Player 2

The series The Player is returning for a second round after originally airing on OCN in 2018. Actress Oh Yeon-seo (Cafe Minamdang) and Jang Gyu-ri, of the K-pop girl group Fromis 9 and the drama Cheer Up, have received offers to join returning star Song Seung-heon in the new season.

Starring Song, as well as Lee Si-eon, Krystal Jung and Tae Won-suk, The Player focused on a con artist, a hacker, a brawler and a driver who work together to fight corrupt targets who consider themselves out of anyone’s reach. The show has a similar concept to Taxi Driver, which returns for season two this month.

Oh has been offered the role of Jung Soo-min, a character who loses a loved one and winds up bringing the Player team back together. Meanwhile, Jang has received an offer for the part of Jae-yi, a talented driver who hides a warm-hearted personality beneath her cool persona.

Season two of The Player is expected to begin shooting within the first half of the year.

3. Gaslighting

Following her role in the Netflix drama Remarriage & Desires, Kim Hee-seon may next appear in the drama Gaslighting. Kim’s agency has confirmed that the actress has been offered a role in the show, which will be directed by Kim Seung-woo (Bring Me Home) and written by Nam Ji-yeon (So I Married the Anti-Fan).

The series will follow the story of Young-won, the top psychological counsellor in Korea, and her mother-in-law Sa-kang, who have to confront difficult secrets that come out into the open owing to the actions of Young-won’s husband. Gaslighting is described as a series that will combine comedy and thriller elements.

Kim is known for hit dramas such as Faith, Alice and Tomorrow.

4. Happy End

Following her marriage last year, Jang Na-ra may finally be returning to screens. Her agency confirms that she has been offered a part in the drama Happy End.

Jang is considering taking on the role of Seo Jae-won, the detail-oriented and level-headed CEO of a furniture brand. Owing to a difficult childhood, Jae-won has desperately chased success throughout her life. But she also finds herself battling with her obsessions and forbidden desires.

Before her marriage, Jang last appeared in the supernatural romantic comedy Sell Your Haunted House. She is also known for shows such as You Are My Destiny and The Last Empress.

The show will be directed by Jo Soo-won, who was behind Doctor John and last year’s series Today’s Webtoon.

5. My Demon

Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung, two of the most popular young actors in the industry today, are in talks to share the screen in the fantasy romance My Demon.

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Kim has been offered the role of Do Do-hee, the heir of a large family-run corporation who has many enemies around her. Song is considering the part of Jung Gu-won, a demon who suddenly loses his powers one day. To reclaim his powers he must work with Do Do-hee, and this odd pair wind up living together.

Song has recently appeared in a run of hit series, from both seasons of Love Alarm to Sweet Home and Forecasting Love and Weather. He will next be seen in the second season of Sweet Home later this year.

Kim’s last drama was Lovers of the Red Sky. She most recently appeared in the well-received Netflix romantic comedy 20th Century Girl.

My Demon is being written by Choi Ah-il, one of the screenwriters for the hit period drama Mr. Queen.

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