MBC Speeds Up Production of Kill Me Heal Me with Joint C-funding and Extensive Overseas Shoot in the US

Production is really ramping up on the upcoming MBC early 2015 tent pole drama with the terrible title of Kill Me Heal Me. For some reason this drama totally feels like MBC is getting a step up on SBS with its massive preparation for Kim Eun Sook‘s return drama Descendants of the Sun which has been pushed back to June 2015. Kill Me Heal Me is tentatively scheduled to air in January of 2015 and comes from the screenwriter who did MBC’s last biggest ratings hit The Moon Embraces the Sun back in 2012. Kim Eun Sook’s Descendants of the Sun reportedly has over 80% pre-filmed overseas shoots and requires massive funding which is the main reason why the drama has been pushed back. MBC just announced that it secured a joint-production of Kill Me Heal Me with the deep pocket Chinese production company Huace Media due to KMHM also having a significant overseas filmed portion. Specifically an overseas shoot in the US which immediately brings back Heirs memories all over again (and not in a good way). Please hire better actors as English-speaking extras, please!

Kill Me Heal Me is the story of a third generation chaebol heir with dissociative identity disorder (also known as multiple personality disorder) involving 7 different personalities, his main personality with 6 others vying for control over his body. The drama is about the love story between him and his psychiatrist who is treating his mental illness and is described as “romantic and funny”. Not my words, the press release claims it’s an upbeat drama! Clearly the divorced exes getting back together trope is finally worn out and K-dramas as a whole are moving towards mental illness and/or psychological trauma. Case in point the currently airing It’s Okay, It’s Love where the main lead has schizophrenia and even piling on by giving him imaginary ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). There is also Pinocchio where the female lead has a mental affliction whereby she sneezes when she lies, on the villains side Park Hae Jin is playing a genius serial killer with deep rooted mental issues in Bad Guys.

The Korean and Chinese drama boards are all lit up with excitement over this new big-budget drama. The production revealed that currently a top Hallyu star is in talks to headline and the netizens tossed out the usual suspect names of Kim Soo Hyun or Lee Min Ho. Both are insanely popular in China right now so I wouldn’t be surprised if its either, especially with Kim Soo Hyun being the lead in the KMHM screenwriter’s last hit drama The Moon Embraces the Sun. If the age bracket needs to be higher there is a lot of chatter that it could be So Ji Sub, who has been quite popular since The Master’s Sun, or Song Seong Heon who has the popularity though we must all concede he can barely handle acting as one personality much less 7 different ones. MBC will handle all production logistics while Huace provides the funding and both companies will jointly undertake a massive publicity push in their respective countries when the drama premieres simultaneously in Korea and online in China.


Comments

MBC Speeds Up Production of Kill Me Heal Me with Joint C-funding and Extensive Overseas Shoot in the US — 31 Comments

  1. I think the writer of the Moon Embraces the Sun is a mediocre writer, imagine the only problem in the story is the amnesic lady needs to remember the past to be able to undo the mistakes that So Hyun’s family did to her family, its like endless love in a saeguk way I hate it hate it but love Kim So Hyun’s acting special mention is the kiddo…. Han ga In I rather shut my mouth kick my ass and sleep…. goodnight.

  2. No to Song Seung Heon, please! I don’t care how pretty he looks to many, bad acting ruins a drama, period! Unfortunately none of those actors mentioned appeals to me personally but it’s fun just to follow this kind of project.

  3. A big budget rom-com? That’s a rarity. Hopefully all that money could be used wisely instead of just shooting overseas for really no good reasons (eg. Heirs), where being in US really made nary an impact on the plot other than hooking more audiences abroad.

  4. No, please no Heirs or IOIL 2.0!! I have some issues with IOIL, although the leads’ acting are awesome!
    Funny how every drama will feature psychological trauma/mental illness now.

  5. My vote goes to Jang Hyuk (please let him be considered eventually) because he has the talent and range to handle seven personalities. ONLY if the script’s good though.

  6. This premise might be interesting…she could be dating seven different men at once…maybe pick out two or three personalities she likes the best. It certainly wouldn’t be boring…I’m laughing already.

    • Not all personalities are of the same age and gender though. For instance, a particular personality can be a female toddler, then she will probably be babysitting/looking after and not dating that particular persona.

      I do hope they stay true to the disorder because its interesting material and not create comedy at its expense :/

  7. Jang Hyuk can totally nail the lead part.

    And LOL on SSH. He’s gorgeous but yeah, no way to handle multiple personalities/characters ^__^

    • You and me both, you and me. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s as popular in China as the ones mentioned in the article? :/

  8. One thing for sure they needed a talented actor for that role if they want to succeed. Moon that embraces the sun isn’t that appealing to me 😛

  9. Oh jebal… a big no to very overated Kim Soo Hyun, This guy looks exactly the same when he’s happy,sad,angry,confused,etc. Doesn’t matter what the situasion, he has the exact same expression on his face. Seriously, how he want to bring that multiple character to life ;/

    Your comment about Song Seung Hoon is so ‘LOL’.

  10. Kim Soo Hyun for the win!! 🙂 I think it’s good for him to exercise such a wide range of characters and able to get out of his type cast DMJ. It’s a challenge and I think he would love it and embrace that challenge and will nailed it. Other actors are great too but this is the role for KSH if he wants to get out of the shadow of MLFAS.

  11. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drama with an overseas shoot that justified the cost. In fact a lot of times it just makes the drama worse because they use terrible non-korean actors.

  12. Hi, kindly consider hyun bin opposite song hye kyo as his doctor.Great chemistry,looks very good on screen.Song hye kyo is famous in china.It’s been so long since ww.I love to see both of them together again.Goodluck.Thank you.God Bless

  13. Your comment about English-speaking actors is on the money, for Heirs and every other Korean drama I’ve watched (with the exception of Athena). I always wonder if they just go out on the street, look for some caucasian person, and offer them a speaking part in a drama. It’s pretty sad, and it makes Americans, who are the most often portrayed, look like idiots. Plus, they almost always have dialogue that an American would never say that way. I know that many Koreans watching these dramas may not know or care how bad the English speaking dialogue and acting is. But, for those of us who speak English and love K-dramas, it’s so disappointing.

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