Lee Jong Seok Offered Male Lead in KBS Drama Beautiful Mind, Formerly Dr. Frankenstein

I totally forgot about this in development drama, and mostly thought it went to die an ignominious death at the grave where dramas that never get off the ground commit seppuku. Turns out KBS has retained multiple personality medical drama Dr. Frankenstein in its back pocket this whole time and is now ready to revive the whole thing with a fresh coat of paint in the form of a new drama title of Beautiful Mind and a new leading man in talks to headline. K-news is reporting that Lee Jong Seok has been offered the lead role and is considering it seriously among the projects he’s currently fielding.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Lee Jong Seok took it to challenge himself, especially seeing a sunbae like Ji Sung getting so much great critical acclaim and audience affection for tackling and succeeding at a hard multiple personality role in Kill Me Heal Me. Sadly there is another extreme other side possibility that could happen, while the less said about Hyun Bin in Hyde, Jekyll, Me the better, it’s almost impossible to judge his acting in multiple personalities since the drama writing was so incomprehensibly stupid. Timing really is everything, Kim Soo Hyun considered this drama towards the end of 2014 before doing Producer also at KBS this spring so now the role is Lee Jong Seok’s for the taking if he wants to squeeze in a drama before the year ends.

Little birdies are saying Beautiful Mind is slated as a KBS Wed-Thurs drama where currently political drama Assembly is airing, with the Jang Hyuk commoner sageuk God of Trade – Innkeeper 2015 slated for after Assembly in September. That means the earliest Beautiful Mind could air would be December 2015, unless there is a switch in airing schedule with Innkeeper, or Beautiful Mind gets moved to KBS Mon-Tues. Writing will be the screenwriter of Sungkyunkwan Scandal and The Great King Sejong, with no word yet on the PD but I’m assuming it’ll be a KBS drama veteran.

Beautiful Mind (formerly Dr. Frankenstein) tells the story of a seemingly perfect on the outside (genius smart, good looking) surgeon who actually suffers from multiple personality disorder. To control his condition he never expresses any emotion, that is until he meets with that woman who opens his heart and begins change his life. If Lee Jong Seok accepts, this will be his second time playing not just a doctor but a specifically a surgeon after doing so in Dr Stranger. While I do want Lee Jong Seok to quickly come back to drama land (and my arms), I remain traumatized by the crazy fervor that gripped me watching DS and almost destroyed my brain. The thought of Jong Seok as a doctor again, and in a multiple personality drama that has a chance of going the way of Hyde in terms of storytelling……help me mommy, I’m both excited and scared. Eeeps!


Comments

Lee Jong Seok Offered Male Lead in KBS Drama Beautiful Mind, Formerly Dr. Frankenstein — 34 Comments

    • With all due respect to his raging fans, I have a serious problem with him as a “constant” genius. He looks so young and so…korean model that him being a doctor (and not a clinical specialist, but a surgeon on top of that who usually needs more than a decade to perform an operation!) is beyond fiction.
      The writer should seriously consider the possibility of another occupation this time. Even Joon Won struggles through portraying a doctor properly even though he’s a far better actor than an ex-model. ( Don’t cast stones, ladies…just my opinion)

  1. This drama is a must especially if LJS is the male lead. It’ll be a double bonus and treat if PSH will be the female lead.

  2. Please say no and pick another project. While multiple personalities is a way to broadcast your “range” in acting, sometimes it seems rather forced than nuanced, and I rather see an actor put his all in different roles in different dramas to create credible, heartfelt characters. I’m a little sick of multiple personalities dramas at this point, especially in one with a base personality of being cold and emotionless. I love LJS to death, and wish him to have another drama now, but I rather wait for one with better topics to come. Really don’t want to follow Dr. Stranger with another medical drama.

  3. Dear Koala, did you read about the fraud that happened to LJS? Somebody lied that they were representing LJS and signed a drama deal with a production company without JS even knowing(the drama is called Saver btw, the one rumored to have offered to LJS, which you covered a few days ago). And the production company in turn got a time slot at MBC Feb 2016. It is quite interesting even though my Sukkie suffered quite a bit for it.

  4. No please….I hope he rejects! The story sounds totally like Hyde, Jekyll, Me…only the setting is changed to doctor rather than circus owner.

  5. I did not dare watch Dr. Stranger so Jong Suk taking on a genius doctor role is a first for me. And I would definitely watch this if he’ll do this drama. The writer’s past works were not bad so i hope this will not go the HJM path.

      • I am a fan, who loved all of his dramas, but yes, he is quite overrated in terms of skills.

      • How? This guy did not get top excellence award for 2014 and did not get noninated for acting for Baeksang 2015. And you are saying he is overrated in terms of skills? As a fan, I always think he improves a lot but is never considered top notch. ‘Overrated’ confuses me.

    • overrated in term of skills, and i think he is also being more popular because of his pretty face, rather than his talent..

  6. ljs n kim so hyun to me always seem like highschooler, i’m not interested when they take serious drama plus thr story is done repeatedly, genius doctor,split personality, vampir, is it really
    no other story in dramaland

  7. I am so confused with the overrated comment? Overrated means there is a very high rate most peole give him to begin with. I can not think of any of such. Can you guys explain?

    • Those are from other fangirls who got jelly. This news is HUGE enough to get covered by both koala and dramabeans almost at the same time. LJS is really something.

  8. Yayyyy, happy he is taking this drama that doesn’t interest me at all…I really don’t get his appeal, he is far from handsome and he has no charisma, why is he popular again?

    • He has a back of picking good projects that suits him. His face looks a little plastic when he’s not emoting, but when he does, it’s so raw and natural that it grabs your heart and makes you feel for him.

  9. No…just no…
    No multiple personalities anymore pls.
    Sounds like a train wreck
    Surgeon (jeez dr stranger was so m)&@@$@) + MUltiple P (urgh Hyde Jekyll Me still gives me the shivers)
    no just no…

  10. Is he the same age as Sung Joon and Kim Woo Bin. If yes, he’s so baby face. Never watched his dramas yet so, I don’t have any idea about his actings. He can be with Jang Nara and Kim SO Hyun for baby face club lol.

  11. i would like to see another DID drama i loved hyun bin in hyde jekyll me it was amazing drama!he acted his part realy well only if the writing was better

  12. Hyun Bin was great as usual, just in a truly terrible drama. Man, that show just sucked. You have to laugh to think about it, smh.

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