Yoo Oh-seong (유오성)

Movie-Based Dramas to Fill TV Screens

Source | 2008/07/08 | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Amid the ongoing search for catchy, stylish, attractive ideas for local dramas, many drama-makers have turned to themes that have already been seen to be popular. Movie-based dramas are no longer new, but the race for the best-made remake is expected to get more competitive with "IRIS", "Tazza" (working title), "Friends: The Unfinished Tale" (working title) and "Beat".

The 1999 movie "Shiri" was a steppingstone for Korean cinema, being considered the first blockbuster movie that captivated local movie fans with its distinctive plot and action scenes. Now the hit movie that depicted the lives of secret agents is coming back to television screens as "IRIS". In order to bring movie-like elements onto the smaller screen, the drama will be written and produced by Taewon Entertainment and Kang Je-gyu Film, both famous movie agencies here, and will boast a budget of 20 billion won. Korean heartthrob Lee Byeong-heon ("All In", 2003) will appear as the myst...| More

Blockbuster 'Friend' to Be Reproduced as TV Series

Source | 2008/07/04 | Permalink |

By Hwang Jin-hwan (Intern)

Will a TV drama version of the blockbuster "Friend" be as thrilling as the original movie?

Avid fans certainly hope so. The mega-hit, which garnered a record-high 8.2 million ticket sales in 2001, will be remade as a 16-episode TV series titled "Friend: the Untold Story", said to be aired in the first half of 2009.

"I have decided to direct the drama with untold episodes added to the original movie. The scenario is in the process of being written", said Kwak Kyung-taek, who catapulted into stardom as the film director and scenario writer.

"All the episodes will be shot in Busan, just like the original film", Kwak said, refusing to reveal which TV broadcaster will show it.

Kim Min-joon, 32, who starred in Kwak's 2007 film "a Love", will replace Yoo Oh-seong as the gangster Jun-sok, and Hyeon Bin, 26, will replace Jang Dong-gun as Jun-sok's friend Dong-su. Oh and Hyun Bin will play the two leading characters among the four friends in the movie, ...| More

[ChanMi's drama news] So Ji-sub returns after 4 years

Source | 2008/06/28 | Permalink |

Can you believe it? "Sorry, I Love You" was four years ago and we haven't seen him in a drama since!

Now So Ji-sub is coming back on the television through "Abel and Cain" replacing Kwon Sang-woo and Ko Hyeon-jeong's drama "Daemool"....| More

Movie "Friend" into Drama… Who plays Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-seong's roles?

Source | 2008/04/03 | Permalink |

It seems we will meet "Friend", which premiered in 2001 and drew 8 million viewers, on television.

The production company is planning to produce "Friend" as a drama, and director Kwak Kyung-taek will hold the megaphone once more. "Friend" drew a lot of popularity from the start, left many catchphrases, and allowed Jang Dong-gun to officially rise up in stardom.

Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-seong starred with strong Pusan accents and captivated audiences with their acting. The drama will cast stars with other styles but the list, of course, includes top stars.

Who will be the actors who receive judgment for following in Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-seong's footsteps?

We cannot exclude Jang Dong-gun, who has worked with Director Kwak Gyeong-tae in "Typhoon" and "Friend". However, it doesn't seem likely that Jang Dong-gun will star in the drama after starring in the movie.

Because many directors work with actors they've already worked with, there is a possibility of Joo Jin-mo, who...| More

KWAK Gyeong-taek Explores Love

Source | 2007/09/19 | Permalink |

Director KWAK Gyeong-taek returns with "a LOVE", a dramatic love story about unrequited love. KWAK previously concentrated on masculinity in often violent settings. JOO Jin-mo plays the protagonist whose great love for PARK Si-yeon's character leads him to break the law for her. When he returns, she is in a relationship with another man.

KWAK helmed "Friend", one of Korea's most successful films. "Friend" portrayed a group of friends with at the heart of the group two boys who turn to a life of crime in different criminal organizations, ending in an unavoidable confrontation between the two youth friends. YOO Oh-seong and JANG Dong-gun played the lead roles. JANG and KWAK also worked together on "Typhoon", about a North Korean pirate threatening to strike South Korea.

JOO Jin-mo rose to fame with the hit comedy "200 Pounds Beauty", along with KIM Ah-joong. PARK Si-yeon also featured in a comedy last year, she acted in "The Fox Family"; together with JOO Hyeon who plays her love i...| More