I thought IRIS 2 was one of the biggest busts of the 2013 year considering its massive cast and astronomical budget. KBS pretty much took a wash on it and in the process wasted some of my favorite leading men in Jang Hyuk and Lee Bum Soo in yet another stinker. KBS has more than made up for it with Lee Bum Soo, giving him such a plum role as the Korean Prime Minister in a sweet and sparkling gem of a rom-com that is Prime Minister and I. The network appears to be doing the same for Jang Hyuk, who has just confirmed that he’ll be headlining a rom-com on KBS Mon-Tues to air after the melodrama Full Sun with Yoon Kye Sang and Han Ji Hye. Since MBC has the ratings leader Empress Ki going until April, it makes sense KBS isn’t even bothering with the sageuk genre but will instead toggle melodrama with rom-com to offer up an alternative to the viewers. I love Jang Hyuk so so much and if his upcoming rom-com called Mozart Romance is anywhere as wonderful as PM has been, this will more than sooth my ruffled feathers over his ridiculous character and plot line in IRIS 2. Jang Hyuk hasn’t done a rom-com in almost 12 years since Successful Story of the Bright Girl which launched his and Jang Nara‘s careers. His tendency is towards serious fare and since his discharge from the military in 2006 he’s had an equal share of drama hits I’ve loved (Thank You, Chuno, Tree with Deep Roots) as well as misses (Tazza, Robbers, Midas, IRIS 2). If Sidus HQ hadn’t gotten into a pissing match with SBS and pulled Jang Hyuk from Secret Garden at the last minute and Hyun Bin stepped in, he would have already done his rom-com with Ha Ji Won and SG as we know it would have been a different beast. Not much is available about Mozart Romance other than a brief character synopsis: Jang Hyuk plays a genius composer who idolizes Mozart and ends up in a coma for 14 years, once he wakes up he finds his first love is now with his rival who is a Salieri-esque envious composer, and in his re-normalization process he meets a young aspiring singer who has the voice but suffers from stage fright. This sounds all so melodramatic so I’m going to have to trust in KBS who says this is going to be a rom-com.
None of the other cast members have been finalized yet since the drama is still far from airing. Judging from the character synopsis, the female lead is going to be much younger than the other three leads. If SM wants to keep striking while its iron is hot, what with three stellar outings in a row with its actresses with Go Ara in Answer Me 1994, Yoona in Prime Minister and I, and Lee Yeon Hee in Miss Korea, then I’m all for using one of SM’s singer-actress talent since the female lead has to know how to sing. Speaking of singing, who’s the best female singer in SM anyways?
I’m not a fan of JH… He’s good to action scenes but he has no chemistry with his co-stars…
This sounds interesting, though I wonder where the comedy will come from. I vote for Ara for the female lead, as imo she’s the best actress out of the 3 (I guess 4, if we count Sooyoung too). Lee Yeon Hee actually has a really lovely voice though, perhaps better than Ara’s. Her performance in Miss Korea is quite impressive, especially considering how wooden I used to find her. She’s doing well (and drama itself is sooooo good) but I just can’t picture her opposite Jang Hyuk for some reason. Yoona’s not a strong singer, so I guess she’s not really suitable for the role.
Out of the whole of SM I’d say either SNSD’s Taeyeon or CSJH The Grace’s Dana (unfortunately her group’s not active anymore, but all the members were good singers).
SNSD’s Taeyeon would get my vote for best vocals. I think SM should get her some acting gigs because I think she could act unlike Jessica or Yuri. But personally, I’d want Sunny in a drama as I know she could act and she sings very well too.
Also Luna from f(x) is really good but I don’t know about her acting, since I haven’t seen her in anything. Krystal is a good singer too but she’s too young haha
Taeyeon is definitely the best singer in SM. But I don’t know if they’ll actually launch her as a leading lady since she doesn’t have any acting experience. She is Yoona’s level in popularity though, so I can’t imagine it being a bad thing. I’d definitely tune in if she’s casted. It would also create a lot of buzz…
I’m not a fan of JH though. He’s a good actor but I don’t find his chemistry compelling – both with his leading ladies and just other actors in general. But I haven’t seen all his dramas so it can just depend. This one does sound like a melo though…
Re: Jang Hyuk and chemistry, I would tend to agree except in the cases of Lee Da Hae and Shin Se Kyung. I think that in general he is so charismatic on screen (kind of like Choi Min Soo) that your eye gets drawn to his intensity and you miss the small actions and moments that let you feel chemistry. But hopefully he can tone down this intensity in a rom com.
Sooyoung should be cast here…..I don’t know about singing but she is a good actress 🙂
By the way, it is always nice to see serious actors doing a rom-com (Cha Seung Won, So Ji Sub)….so I’m excited!!
FYI, she can’t sing.
Hmm, i think BOA is also good choice.
I like JH… so will be good to see him in drama… but a rom-com.. that’ll be funny.. i can’t see him being funny… but seeing SJS transform in the master’s sun.. JH may proof me wrong.
I actually would like to see Nam Gyuri … don’t like her much in 49 days.. but after seeing her in Heartless City.. i think she has potential with the right role and she can definitely sing.
Jang Hyuk IRL is really a funny guy. if you want to see him being funny you should try to watch The Successful Story OF Bright Girl. and there’s no glimps of Dae Gil or Chae Yoon there. 😀
i think lee yeon hee can be good too…she has good voice…i have seen her singing clip…kim ji won(the heirs) also can sing and act but i think she is too young. Park shin hye don’t have that powerful vocal. How about idol turn actress? Nam Gyu Ri? She can sing! Kim ah joong? She got a powerful vocal… Jung Eun Ji?? She is really good in rom-com…and got a sizzling chemistry with her co-star(kim bum, seo in guk) and got a powerful vocal!(come on…she is main vocal for A-pink!) The plotline seem interesting and hope it can be hit…don’t know why…but it seem can be hit like beethoven virus?(maybe both about music? haha)…
Jung Eun Ji is lovely – she has the talent and the voice, but i think she’s too young for what this role sounds like. (’93er is a bit too young)
What about Lee Yoo Bi from the same agency? I guess the vocals could be pre-recorded.
But I’m a little suspicious that only 2 articles have been released in the past week… I wonder if this is just one of those dramas that is discussed but not organized.
She can sing, though – not as well as an idol group main vocalist like Taeyeon or Eun-ji, but she can definitely sing.
Best female singer in SM would be Liyin, Taeyeon, or Luna…I’m not a Taeyeon fan (Sica or Sunny thanks) so I don’t know her activities but I don’t think she has acted. Liyin is permanently trapped in SM’s basement Luna did a weekend family drama.
However I vote for T-ara’s Eunjung
Sunny!! She’s a very good singer. I really like her voice. And there was a variety show where GG had acting lessons and she was good. Now that I remember Taeyeon was a bit awkward.
My vote goes to Kim Yoo-Ri (Master’s Sun, the second female lead): She can sing and act and I totally fell for her. Otherwise, Sunny did very well in her Musicals getting great reviews, so she might a good choice depending on the character.
Kim Yuri is doing that Full Sun drama with Yoon Kye Sang so I doubt she’ll be able to this one which is a shame cuz I really liked her
I love Jang Hyuk. Yes he’s intense, and perfect for those roles, but he can be extremely funny. Watch his stint on SNL Korea. He’s not necessarily some slapstick funny guy, but he has sort of dry, witty sense of humor, that appeals to me. He’s done comedy in movies like Please teach me English, and Windstruck had comedy. He manages to layer comedic tones into most of his dramatic performances, even with Daegil in Chuno. In all his dramas, it’s there, just understated or overwhelmed by the melo surrounding him in the scene. I can’t wait for this drama, I really hope it gets made.
Taeyeon and Luna are really good singers. Also Tiffany, but none of them convince me. I don’t think they’re gonna be good actresses.
I nominee Yoon Eun Hye, she’s like 7 years younger than Jang Hyuk and she’s a very good singer and pointing the obvious a good actress. I miss her already 🙁
Yehhhh for Yoon Eun Hye! She will be perfect for this role…And we all know she can have chemistry with a tree.
I’ll be in heaven if she’s cast and we can erase the bad memory that was MHIYD!
Hehe,this is like Yoon Eun Hye is the only actress in Korea. No offense,but our Miss Yoon Eun Hye should graduate to these roles and move on; or better yet move further out of S.Korea since she’s already known in Asia, she should go Hollywood!
Hollywood? what languages she wants to use.
I feel like when casting for these roles, they tend to lean towards an actress who is just mediocre at singing. I would like it if they went for someone who can actually sing, even if she’s a newbie at acting. If they went the SM route, Taeyeon is a good choice. She’s done a musical & some cameos, nothing big but she would have the voice & experience from OSTs to pull off all the singing. There are a lot of choices to choose from for a role like this but I do hope they at least try to get someone who can nail the singing parts.
yeah…absolutely i like who can sing really well…acting well also somewhat a bonus.. it will feel more natural to be good in singing compared to have a pretty actress that can act but actually mediocre at singing but plotline try to make viewer believe that she seem really talented in singing(bla..blah…??)… i do hope she good in both…maybe Jang Hyuk should be style or act to look younger so that he can match with his co-star that might be a lot younger…so casting a younger actress should not be a problem as long as she can act and sing and plus got a chemistry! come on guys…even lee bum soo really match with yoona in prime minister and i… (they got 20 years age apart you know!)ohh my …so hope female kim soo hyun can come out right now!!(song sam dong ahh…where is your sis?? haha)
My vote is for f(x)’s Luna~ I hope she’ll do this drama because she’s an amazing and powerful singer who can certainly belt out notes. SNSD’s Taeyeon wouldn’t be a bad choice either.
Tayeon would be a great choice but she is more into singing. I guess they are gonna cast Suzy or Eunji at the end.
Eunji is a popular actress, and can sing really well. I bet it’s going to be her.
I love Ailee. Boy that girl can sing! Hope she can act well too. I thought she did a movie? I just love her vocals.
oops! I guess she is not from SM but I hope I can see her acting too.
Looks like everyone agrees that Taeyeon is the best singer in SNSD. 🙂
I see that some of the comments above worry about JH’s chemistry with his female leads, so how about this:
I vote for Jang Nara! 🙂
– someone who can sing
– someone who can act
– someone who looks young
– someone who will be great in a rom-com with Jang Hyuk
i vote for her too. reunion after 12 years? wow. she’s the only female lead that have good chemistry with Jang Hyuk.
I guess suzy since she won’t be promoting then?
It would be awesome if BoA was casted as the female lead! Her acting is surprisingly good…
I think Nam Gyuri and Hwang Jung Eum has great vocals in 49 Days and Giants, so I think they’re perfect for Jang Hyuk. But if the character needs a younger singer-actress, Kim Dahee of Glam has the vocal … she acts and sings pretty well in Monstar as Kim Nana.
Jung Eunji would be perfect for the role but I doubt if she’ll get casted. They’ll probably get someone from SM or even Suzy for this. I don’t think the actress has to be totally good in singing. She just has to be good in acting.
Hi: This is my first time posting a comment in this blog. First, I’d like to say thanks to the blogger for posting this news but also for her review of Bu Bu Jing Xin which convinced me to watch such a beautiful series.
Regarding this topic, I agree with Lady G in everything. Jang Hyuk has proven comedic ability many times. Successful Story of a Bright Girl, Windstruck, Please Teach Me English, and in almost every drama he has been he has had comic scenes, Thank You, Tazza, Chuno, The Tree with Deep Roots, etc and most recently he was hilarious in SNL. I am not worried about this. Right now I am also not so concerned with who will be the female lead too much. I am more curious about the fact that a) this drama has not been confirmed, and I really like the premise so I wish it will happen b) Are the writer and directors good? In my opinion, most actors shine with good writing and good directing. Therefore if those elements are present, and Jang Hyuk is there, Im in regardless of the actress. We also don’t know enough about the female lead character, so it is hard (at least for me) to speculate who would fit the role. I do assume she has to be young since she is “an aspiring singer” and yes it would be nice if she could sing. Personally I would prefer the priority was give to acting skill though, since as far as we know this is not a musical? Although that is also uncertain.
Regarding his chemistry with other actors, I strongly disagree with some of the opinions above. He had great chemistry with Jun Ji-Hyun on Windstruck, with Lee Da-Hae on Robbers and Chuno (sizzling, they didn’t need to touch each other, just looking at each other was enough. It earned them best couple award that year) and in Chuno he also had chemistry with Kim Ha Eun (Seolwha). Awesome chemistry with Gong Hyo-Jin in Thank You, again, they barely touched (unfortunately) her character was a woman who considered herself a piece of furniture, and as such she kissed (and gave him all the work) and still, you would feel a strong sexual tension between them in all those scenes where they were just looking at each other. Yes, he had cute chemistry with Jang Nara in Successful Story of a Bright Girl (though I don’t agree that it was his best). I really liked his chemistry with Shin Se Kyung on The Tree with Deep Roots. Not a lot of people have seen this but he had great chemistry with Son Ye Jin in Daemang. And with other actors? he had great chemistry with Oh Ji Oh in Chuno (awesome rivalry turned to bromance), with Han Jung Su and Kim Ji Suk in Chuno (the slave hunter bros!) with Kim Min Jun in Tazza (best bromance turned rivalry) and with Son Hyun Joo (his partner in crime, with Jo Hyun-Jae in Daemang, with Han Suk Kyu on The Tree With Roots (the actors complemented each other to produce some of the most intense and amazing scenes I’ve ever seen in anything) and there are many more examples but I don’t want to write forever. Yeah, not worried about the chemistry either. Just give me a well written story and character and a good director 😉
Annnddd I didn’t realize that post was so long! Sorry 🙂
Don’t be, it was awesome 🙂
Agree on your comment’s awesomeness. 🙂
I wish my first comment was that coherent too. (I think it was something like: OMG ABS LOL MOAR PLS.)
Oh the girl from monster!! IU or Boa will be nice. Snsd seems be away for that period for concerts.
I would vote for Taeyeon or BoA. Both have amazing vocals, and both are attempted acting and I believe they have potential to be great actresses. 🙂
I think Sooyoung could be a good fit she’s a good singer and has demonstrated her acting chops. BoA could work too especially since she seems to heading into some acting lately.
It would be nice to see Jang Hyuk doing a romantic-comedy genre. He can handle any kind of role be it drama or comedy. I think the actress that has to be casted should not only know how to sing but act as well. I hope the casting director will do a good job choosing the actress but Yoona is a big No! She could probably sing but her acting is so lame and boring. She also has no pull for a successful drama. All her dramas had not been successful. Another thing is that if they were to find a a younger actress Yoona is also not fit for it, she may be young in age but her looks seems to be like a granny to me.