This is pretty big K-drama news even if it doesn’t involve casting, yet again confirming that screenwriter Kim Eun Sook is one of those brand name scribes that generates headlines on her own without the need for big name stars. It’s been a year since Heirs with Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye aired on SBS last October but still the drama is bandied about and heavily streamed on many video portals. It remains frequently mentioned as a K-drama that failed in many narrative ways and some acting that didn’t live up to quality expectations, but at the end of the day it’s a bona fide financial and recognition success.
Kim Eun Sook’s works are always a hot topic since she’s known for doing something different enough to get people to talk – soul switching in Secret Garden or turning Lee Min Ho and all the leads in Heirs into really old high school students. Her next outing has already been revealed to be Descendants of the Sun, a sprawling big-budget drama about a bunch of doctors working in overseas disaster zones, imagine Doctors without Borders volunteers living a K-drama-esque story line. The big shocker to start the weekend is the news that Descendants of the Sun has moved networks and will now air on KBS in May of 2015 and all the financial production needs have now been secured.
Descendants of the Sun sounds so much more like a J-dorama concept, Japan does the doctors/first responders medica doramas quite well. Case in point Code Blue or even doctors in strange places stories like Clinic on the Sea, barely any romance while the focus is on the medical element and the character professional and personal growth. I’m wary of K-drama tackling the emergency medical triage field and turning it makjang to the point that the cases play second fiddle to the romantic love triangles and whatnot.
The drama reportedly has an immense overseas shoot with over 80% of the drama filmed abroad and requires a hefty financial investment right off the bat. Kim Eun Sook’s new drama moving to KBS really is major major news. All of Kim Eun Sook’s previous dramas have aired on SBS and she’s been a lock with the network for over 10 years. Both KBS and MBC have wanted to work with her but she’s notoriously loyal to SBS and for good reciprocal reason as SBS has been great to her. She lands the biggest stars for her dramas and gets whatever support she needs to make her ideas work onscreen. Curious minds want to know what really happened behind the scenes for this move?
With the move to KBS, suddenly all the casting suggestions go out the window and it’s a whole new ballpark as the big name KBS regulars have a greater chance of landing the project. I think the super big names who rarely do dramas like Kang Dong Won, Won Bin, Jang Dong Gun, etc. probably aren’t interested but who knows. Some KBS regular male leads include (this is just listing them, not necessarily an indication any are being considered): Lee Dong Wook (Hotel King, Fugitive of Joseon, Wild Romance, Iron Man), Jang Geun Seok (Mary Stayed Out All Night, Love Rain, Pretty Boy), and Eric (Strongest Chil Woo, Spy Myung Wol, Discovery of Love). I personally think Kim Eun Sook should go after Gong Yoo. He’s perfect as a field doctor!
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Well... Japan also has its brand of makjang medical dramas.
I'm thinking "Iryu ~Team Medical Dragon~". That one is REALLY melodramatic and yet it was a success. I mean, they keep bringing it back! This year they aired a 4th season and everything!
Anyways, I'm not interested in this Kdrama. I dislike the medical genre in general.
Ockoala the script reading of Pinocchio is out love to hear your thoughts and there is a preview also.
Why are you hijacking? This post is not related to Pinocchio.
Will it kill you.
Will it kill you if you stay on topic of post?
Just a request find a life.
Take a chill pill and back away from this post RME
Wow!! KES-SBS bond finally broken. Well, it's on KBS means it'll surely suck now.
My bet? It won't suck less than Heirs which was a train wreck of epic proportions & not only because of the script. SBS butchered the script of DoctorStranger too & now is finishing the job on MyLovelyGirl... I find that SBS did very questionable choices lately. Nothing lasts, nothing is sacred: I bet her conditions of work will improve there (I'd pay to read the contract she signed).
I'm a getting a huge sense that the story and budget is quite absurd and alsp tge trend next year is multiple personality disorder, doctors are out.
@mystisith Well i hope KBS do this one right. They really need it.
@dal: The trend is crap. I don't like any of her dramas, but I'd still prefer watching Doctors without Borders compared to a guy with 7 personalities. I do hope that Kdramas can be more diverse. It's as if they all decided on a theme every year and (almost) all the dramas will be based on it.
OK, let's try to keep calm... I don't think it will necessarily be darling actors of KBS that will be taken. With such a huge project, she can ATTRACT valuable outsiders & maybe the deal is bigger than we think. Too bad for you SBS, obviously you did a big mistake(s) somewhere.
May: I'm waiting for you, woohoo!
Sounds to me like KBS is tired of the crappy ratings... KES is going to attract some big names for sure rather than going with the KBS crowd.
I think you meant Doctors without borders.. :), you see..I've been obsessed with ebola news and admired doctors without borders doing all the volunteeering.
KBS male lead regulars are not on KES level except Joo Won. Gong Yoo is a great choice. Love him.
LOL…Joo Won is overrated. I saw him in Tomorrow Cantanbile. His acting just meh...
Im Soohwan or Kim Jaewook please!!!
It's easily understood why KBS wants to get in bed with KES; they are in desperate need of success. They have being trailing SBS and MBC on both Monday/Tuesdays and Wednesday/Thursdays for years now. In fact, KBS hasn't had a real weekday hit since Good Doctor.
It's less obvious why KES should be interested in KBS. No doubt they have been dangling a lot of money in front of her. But is this a wise move?
Why would she stay with SBS if they don't let her do write the way she likes anymore? They sabotaged her last 2 dramas for god knows whatever reasons. She has enough $$, she could retire now if she wanted. She also has a solid fanbase and contacts in the biz & the production company she works with is independent. The only thing that could have made her switch is artistical freedom, choice of the time slot + picking her own cast.
I think you know more than me about the way SBS has treated KES. If she's been "sabotaged", as you write, that obviously makes the move much more understandable. Even if, in my opinion, it's still something of a chance to take to let your new show air on the channel where dramas go to die...
Exactly,I have been following Mysitith comments taking as if she was in the same room when negotiations went on. Lol. Please
Wish her the best of luck at KBS, even though I have had a bad feeling about the drama. I actually have a bad feeling about all the hyped dramas next year
Sounds like a lot of assumptions. It is just as possible that she is making the move to kbs for more money as it is that she is making the move for artistic integrity. She's been writing for ratings for an awfully long time now, can't put all that blame on sbs...
MBC should be the one freaking out now. In 2015 SBS still has Hyde, Jekyll and I and the even bigger budget 50 episode sageuk Six Dragons Flying, while KBS now has Blood and Descendants of the Sun. All MBC has is Kill Me, Heal Me which it can't cast.
Well, as the ratings of, say, You're All Surrounded, or Nodame right now, prove, you can't be sure you got a hit on your hand just because you sign big name actors, or work with buzzed manuscripts. And usually tv stations don't freak out over something that may happen in the future, but are very much concerned if they are in a actual happening, present slump. Like KBS is. And MBC is not.
Of course, I won't deny that MBC is likely brainstorming how they should respond to their competitors' upcoming projects.
What's this drama "Six Dragons Flying". I've never heard of it O_O
Well, they can use Empress Ki's writers, didn't they bring to MBC the best ratings since the Moon That Embraces the Sun?
This drama hasn't yet started but the BTS are already makjang-worthy haha