Color me impressed that MBC is actually going forward with this upcoming drama. The network is dying for a big win as last year’s two buzziest dramas were on SBS with You From Another Star and Heirs. The sageuk Empress Ki was a decent success for MBC but one has to dig way way back to nearly three years ago with The Moon Embraces the Sun for a bona fide breakout hit. Considering the screenwriter of MoonSun hasn’t done another drama since, the fact that she’s prepping for a big comeback hit would naturally go to MBC as the network to scoop it up. The drama is called Kill Me Heal Me (I know, it’s bizarre) and is scheduled to air in January of 2015. Mental illness must be the hot concept du jour because Kill Me Heal Me is the story of a man with multiple personalities, actually 7 different and distinct personalities, and his love story with the psychiatrist who is treating his affliction. He sounds like he needs a team of shrinks much less one who is still a first year psych resident.
The male lead is a third generation chaebol and through the treatment process the truth about his family’s cruel past is revealed. His main personality will also fight with the other 6 personalities as it tries to take over his body more and more. The drama feel is described as at times thrilling, at times funny, and at times very touching, and will be a healing romance. As opposed to My Secret Hotel‘s motto of “a killing romance” I suppose. Casting isn’t underway yet but the noisy netizens are calling for Kim Soo Hyun to be the lead since this drama is coming from his MoonSun screenwriter. I’m not down with that. Hyun Bin‘s name is also floated since he hasn’t done a drama since leaving the military and his last drama had him playing a dude with serious claustrophobia. I think it could be Kim Jae Won since he’s always working with MBC and has also been in this screenwriter’s two even earlier works in Wonderful Life and the fantastic She is Nineteen (My Sister-in-law is 19). This one looks like a big-budget production with difficult aspirations so have fun speculating away!
Above are some of this screenwriter’s other popular works in addition to MoonSun. I’m personally not a big fan of Capital Scandal but its quite a cult hit actually. It’s Okay, It’s Love is already driving me batty with the fast and loose psychiatry and mental illness elements (and incurable disease to pile on!), one wonders if Kill Me Heal Me will tip me over the edge into a raving lunatic.
I think kim soo hyun is fully packed, so maybe hyun bin? Would love to see hyun bin again!!!
KSH? Pffft. What’s the point of having 7 personalities to portray if they all sound & look the same…
Hyun Bin: If he ever comes back to Kdramaland, it will happen on SBS, maybe for that little drama of 2015. 😉
Kim Jae Won seems plausible and had my seal of approval.
LOL on KSH.
It could also be Yoo Seung Ho, come to think of it. He’s out of MS this December, has worked with MBC in his last two dramas with Missing You and Arang. The network loves him. He can also play crazy psychotic and be more interesting than a bland nice guy male lead like in MY. Question is what this male lead’s age bracket is.
Binnie has only worked with SBS in SG, he’s actually a MBC veteran with MNIKSS, Friends Our Legend, and Ireland, all three are IMO his best dramas and best drama acting in his resume.
Do we know the age of our main lead? Cause if he is on its 20-30-40, the choice will be very different. YSH would be good for a very young chaebol.
But isnt this ‘loyalty’ w station , if some form of contract, is usu bound by a certain number of dramas like three is enough? FoL is much more a project he picked up because of director and i wonder. I’ve not heard of this rumored casting fr the binnie diehards i know and he looks more likely to set his mind to be a progolfer these days.
I doubt he would sign up for this, just the writer won’t meet his eye. My irk is he seems to be picking stuff more on PD he respects. I’m praying more he won’t take up that certain SBS Kim thing.
Sorry for the parroting last comment. Will teach me to read and comment when I’m not dead tired. Lol.
i hopes for Kim Jae Won XD !!! he worked with MBC since 2011 and all the dramas are a hit ( From can you hear my heart to Scandal )… so i’m hoping here. He’s getting better and better with each project since his military service.
just want to add, so 7 multiple personalities, so it’s like ‘faces of eve’ huh. This is gonna be interesting premise if executed well XD.
I want Kim JaeWOOK to be a leading role in the drama. 🙁
This drama seems rather good but I’m deeply annoyed at how it’s always the male lead who has an interesting character. Can’t wait to see the female lead who will have a cookie cutter Candy personality and nothing interesting or unique than being poor but being also able to cast the glance of a crazy chaebol son. Le sigh.
True..It’s more interesting if we can a female lead playing this character..
It sounds… crap to me. 2 personalities are enough to work with really.
I would love to see a Kim Jae WOOK leading in a drama. He also has the acting chops to play 7 different characters. But alas for some reason Korean producers never seem to want to cast him in a leading role 🙁
Kim Jae Wook, HELLO? Acting as 7 characters is not easy, but I know Jae Wook Oppa has the CHOPS to do it. He seriously is so underrated. He needs a big break. I hope Director Nim sees this and gives him the break he deserves! No more second male lead syndrome.
Do you think it’s possible that the male lead will play just the chaebol and the other 7 personalities are played by other actors/actresses? It would be quite interesting to see that dynamic.
I think the guy from Bad Guy not the male lead the second lead I don’t know his name but I think he would be pirfict for this role, he did a good job in Bad guy playing a complex character and evin for the short wile on ‘something Generetion’ can remember the name of the show I liked his character
Kim Jae Wook is his name 🙂
@Queen, you are funny… Yes, Kim Jae Wook, moi like too…
Dating your psych patient sounds so wrong
i agree. i don’t think i will be able to get on board with it. if anything i wish song joong ki was coming back before then bc i would love to see him in this role. if he was the lead then i would give it a chance
Well, according to domestic Nielsen ratings Empress Ki was a bigger hit than both Heirs and You From Another Star (as per wiki.d-addicts.com). It topped at a 29.2% share and clocked over 25% i 25 or so of its episodes. (You From Another Star peaked at 28%, and had some 10 episodes exceeding 25% in comparison.) Empress Ki won Monday and Tuesday nights for MBC for 4 months running – a full quarter of a year. Despite the fact that English speaking drama blogs didn’t write as much about it as Heirs or YFAS, it was very much a “bona fide hit”, not just a “decent success” as you write.
Historical context is what’s important here.
Empress Ki is a 50 episode mega production sageuk from MBC, home of the sageuk epics. It’s ratings are considered within the history of MBC sageuk hits as a decent success. It’s higher than Horse Doctor and Gyebaek, but nowhere near the hits it ought to have been like Queen Seondeok, Dong Yi, Yi San. For being the middle of the pack in what an MBC long sageuk should deliver in ratings, I’m complimenting Empress Ki as being a decent success.
YFAS and Heirs are considered certifiable hits in their genre and airing on SBS in getting over 20% ratings. YFAS also was the biggest buzz domestically and internationally of any K-drama aired last year by far. Last time MBC had a drama talked about like that was in MoonSun.
But that was not what you wrote. You called it a only “decent hit” compared to The Heirs and YFAS. You didn’t say it was compared to previous sageuks. At the end of the day, “buzz” does not make money for tv stations, ratings do. And Empress Ki was not only the clear ratings winner this winter. Is was the dominant week day show for a third of the last year. MBC made a killing.
Also, just one last remark. I think it is very doubtful that any show going forward will ever be able to match the 40% or even 50% shares that some previous shows managed. The times are different now. In fact, it is telling that none of the three shows wer are debating here – by the far the three biggest hits of 2013/14 – managed to crack 30%. Audiences are too diversified these days.
Ratings for The Heirs: Mean rating per episode – 16.7%. Only 8 episodes managed to exceed 20% in rating, and just the last episode reached a 25% share. Again, Empress Ki had more than 25 episodes that did better than The Heirs’ best ratings. It was consequently a much bigger hit. MBC is probably not losing any sleep over lack of hits.
Are kdramas moving towards the psychiatry now? Are we done with fantasy and time travel?
Lool, definitely seems like it
Regarding this drama, I don’t have any preference for any actor. Just get someone who can Actually ACT and do justice to the story. That’s all I ask for
A part of me hopes it’s KSH just because this blog’s owner and it’s readers will not like it. But then again, the whining and complaining will be nonstop and as a KSH fan, I think I’ve had enough of that for awhile so I will be glad for him not to have this part. Since the consensus here is that all other actors are better than KSH, let them have at it. Lol.
Well-said. Haters will always be haters…
I really wasnt vwry fond of Moon Sun (its ending trully pissed me off)..I just have a feeling it won’t be either KSH nor Binnie…for some reason when I read the synopsis Kang Hi Hwan sounded perfect for the part, even though I’m not even the biggest KJH fan…the other person that would match pretty well is Jang Hyuk but I doubt he’d want to do a drama so soon after FTLY…I wish Song Joong Ki was back already so he could be part of some exciting new ptoject
A juicy role for any actor. To redeem himself, I am gonna root for Jang Guen Suek. He sure can act and he needs to himself and everyone else that he started out as a actor.
While reading this my thougt in my mind “what if an actress will play this”?..Sigh..I hope there are more challenging role for actresses..
when this news comes along…..How I wish…really really hard that Yeo Jin Goo are age proper. He will abosulutely amazing in this role.
I want to cry after read this.
Not because the drama itself, but for myself.
I’m in the middle of writing story.. about a man with multiple personality and a girl who study psychology who’ll help him to find the truth about his another personality.
But now, damn.. i think i’ll stop wrote this since my idea no longer.. surprising.
But will wait for this one tho.
It’s been a while since you’ve posted this comment but i hope you found a different idea! Or a way to tweak your present one!
noooo, soo hyun is a good actor and his carreer is rise…. but he can´t experience in this kind of character.. 7 personalities is a challenge and needs an actor withe experience.. soo hyun hasn´t…. for that reason soo hyun can´t…. I like him but he can´t to do this yet… for that reason the most indicated for this kind of interpretation and this script needs experienced actor with great acting skills.. like jang hyuk.. he is a perfect for this script… kang ji hwan too he can do dthat perfectly, so ji sub, dong wook too he is a grosso…. indeed hyun bin could do that…. that is my guess
Hi,I hope hyun bin will be considered opposite songhyekyo as his doctor.Missing their fantastic chemistry on screen.It’s been too long since ww.Thank you.Goodluck.God Bless.
LEE SEUNG GI is the best to play the lead role. From Seven Princesses to You’re All Surrounded we can see how well his acting ability is. He can pull off any role.
But I think he shouldn’t accept the project because its TOO SOON.
The drama will be release on January, and LSG just finished filming his first movie which will be release early 2015 also.
LOL @ all these comments. So nobody had ever thought about Ji Sung. He made his own statement by showing everyone he may be the only one who was able to own KMHM. LOL