MBC Courts Lee Jun Ki to Become the Scholar Who Walks the Night
Lee Jun Ki is one of the best K-actors to follow, he always picks interesting projects and is a delightful sincere presence on social networks with his fans. He’s one of my absolute favorite actors and, unlike some of my other faves who don’t have consistent track records in picking dramas, Jun Ki picks roles and stories that end up delivering enough in all ways to consider it a success. His last three dramas since finishing military service have been Arang and the Magistrate, Two Weeks, and last year’s Joseon Gunman. I thought he was due for another modern drama to keep the trade-off going but the news media is reporting that Lee Jun Ki has been offered the leading man role in the fantasy vampire sageuk Scholar Who Walks the Night. Jun Ki as a Joseon vampire? I’m so onboard with that idea!
Scholar Who Walks the Night is yet another drama this year to be adapted from a manhwa, this one about a Joseon world where vampires secretly live among humans and play roles in the typical power struggles of the times. Rising young actress Han Groo has reportedly been offered the leading lady role, a girl who cross-dresses as a boy to sell books for a living and crosses paths with the handsome vampire scholar. Han Groo isn’t one of my fave actresses but I’m game to give her a shot opposite Jun Ki, and hopefully her role this time will win my heart and this let me see the full potential for why some drama fans seem to love her these days.
I don’t even need to close my eyes to picture Jun Ki as the perfect vampire scholar, made all the more amusing since Arang was also a supernatural sageuk except he played the straight (human) character there to Shin Mina‘s otherworldly ghost girl. Lee Jun Ki’s side has confirmed that he was offered the part and is currently still considering the role. Scholar Who Walks the Night is slated for the MBC Wed-Thurs slot, which is about to start airing Angry Mom this week, which will be followed by Feeling Good and Warm (formerly Jejudo Gatsby) in May, and Scholar will follow in July. I’m glad Scholar is casting this early and would love for Jun Ki to take it just so he gets back on the small screen sooner rather than later.
I don’t think they will be great couple.Han groo is not that popular to pair up with top actor like him.
How is any young actress going to get chances if all we look at is their popularity? She is a good actress, isn’t that more important? Some absolutely terrible or mediocre actresses are popular too…. I thinkHG did well in all her roles so far but maybe she’ll be good at sageuk too.
it’s true she’s not a top actress but i don’t think that should be the only basis of casting stars on drama..
Everyone needs a chance and I like that dramas are injecting new blood into the kinda stale acting pool we have now. I’d rather watch Han Groo than any of the more popular actresses in her age range too. I find her edgy and very vibrant. So what if she’s way less popular…
If we only cast top stars all dramas will be rotating 5 actors and actresses all year round. Han groo proved herself in marriage not dating. is that not enough?
+1
LOL !! I will leave Dramaland if there’s such a rotation.
Don’t get why people want popular actors only for every dramas *sigh* I’d rather watch unpopular actor with good acting than the popular one but meeeeeh on screen -_-
yaa i was thinking exactly the same thing
I think I need to agree with you… I like her in Marriage not Dating but Jun Ki is on anther level and he needs someone in his league to be the female lead.. more a tomboy one like Go Ara would be nice…
You should check out girl k if you don’t think Han Groo is tomboyish enough. Also I checked out the manhwa to see what the characters are like and I could totally picture her in the role! But since I don’t believe either of them have accepted we will have to wait and see! But I’m willing to bet they would make a pretty good pair. Plus I’m intrigues to see who they get to play all the other male characters! Potential drama for a whole lot of eye candy!
uhh, han groo knows how to sword fight and does martial arts. she also does a lot of sports like horse riding and golf…
Regardless of whether Han Groo is popular or not, I have not been impressed by her acting at all. I would be surprised if Lee Jun ki took this role. He doesn’t seem like a good fit for this. I would like to see him in something modern for a change. I think he would’ve been a better fit fit decendants of the sun. To me, he is manlier than Song Jong Ki, as seen in Joseon Gunman.
I need him im modern romcom. T^T
I mean “in”.
I’m so over vampire themes, but I’ll gladly watch for Lee Jun Ki. I like Han Groo too, but her look is too modern for sageuks. Like Go Sung Hee from The Night’s Watchman. I hope they find another actress.
Go Sung Hee’s looks were not a real problem but her horrible acting was. As long as Han Groo can act well, I rather have a decent young actress like her than a girl with a sageuk look who can’t act at all like Suzy.
Poor Suzy. She got bullied when she filmed Gu family book. And her costars were not that great to create a good chemi as well.
I like how Suzy fans blame her shit acting on her costars, the PD, the drama shoot system itself, the weather, and now some made-up bullying. Anything but the fact that her ‘acting’ is horrible because she lacks the ability to act beyond looking pretty.
and Lee Seung Gi, Sung Joon, Lee Yoobi, Yoo Yoon Suk not to mention the senior cast are actually talented. Why should they be responsible for her wooden performance, they did well at their own.
Made-up bullying my ass. That was actually revealed in a talk show a long time ago, dear. It was not easy to act in saguek esp for someone who was new and unexperienced. Obviously Suzy couldn’t learn much from her “talented and experienced” costars to improve her skills. Those talented and experienced costars had projects with poor performance as well, but because they were considered veterans compared to her, so their poor acting could be passed. And all the blame came to her. Simple truth. Out there, heaps of veterans who keep failing.
@tamarine – Lee Yoobi was also new and unexperienced but still delivered a great performance in sageuk when she actually did only 3 acting projects compared to Suzy who did 4. She can’t act properly even in modern dramas so now you blame the sageuks themselves for being difficult, lolololololol.
and she was hanging out with her costars for several months after GFB ended, would she be doing that if they bullied her? Stop blaming the whole world for the obvious lack of talent of your bias and her poor performances, she already gets so many allowances made even by writers because they know she can’t act and trynot to give her anything too difficult for her low level acting skills. But I bet when her next project comes out and she sucks again you’ll find something else to blame for that lol.
What does looks too modern mean? I’m not being sarcastic, genuinely curious. I’ve seen this before and it still confuses me. Unless someone has had a lot of plastic surgery, how can they look too modern?
I can’t speak for everyone, but when I say someone looks too modern, I mean that I can’t picture them in traditional clothing. They don’t look believable in the era they’re playing in. It’s a subjective term. Plastic surgery has nothing to do with it. Michelle Chen and Suzy are natural, but they don’t fit well with the traditional era either. Again, just my opinion.
Hopefully, Jun Ki would consider the role.. even though it is again set up as a sageuk drama, but as a Vampire? this is totally going to be different. How he can differentiate this role from the other roles that he had will definitely put to the test.
I want to see him in modern drama too. But this one is pretty good enough to feed my addiction. Park Min Young will look good with him. Hmmm… I can feel chemistry between them.
Park Min Young is good with all of her male leads in my opinion. But she probably wont do another cross dressing sageuk. ๐
I love Park Min Young too. I heard she’s going to do a drama. Hope she could be paired with LJK.
Have been waiting for drama news about Joon Gi. Thank you very much.
I want to see him in modern drama but i think lee junki matches the theme of being a vampie and falling in love with human. Han groo is quite decent as a rookie, but as for this female lead role, i want someone with innocent vibe like Son Yejin.
Likewise Ms K, if he picks this for his next project, no question asked, trust him much it would be another Lee Joon Gi trademark! Needless to say, he’s absolutely the perfect male lead & would never get tired of watching him in another historical/fantasy drama. Already am so looking forward to see him in yet another successful series! Bring it on Joon Gi oppa!^_^
oh this…i will watch anything for lee jun ki. when the offer was turned down by park hae jin i initially thought of junki who would be perfect for the role and its a sageuk so..oh my he would be the perfect choice..
My first sageuk ever was il Ji Mae and I LOVE it. Sageuk is his bread and butter, but he is great in anything.
I don’t understand kdrama fans. Keep ranting on lack of young new actresses in 20s but start the negativity as soon as someone is cast. Want new faces but not opposite their favourite actor.
No offence but LJK’s look seems too girly, too weak to release a manly or heroic vibe needed for his characters so far.
Obviously you have not seen his acting. No one would ever classify his acting as feminine unless you only watched the king and the clown.
Agree w/ @coolrepubilca. LJK rocks action!
Agree! He’s kind of a bad ass.
totally agree with you. LJK is such a versatile actor
This is one of the dumbest comments I ever saw at miss koala’s. Have you ever even seen. Lee Jun Ki act, that you say he’s not manly?
Lol, dumbest or not, he has never made more impressive success after the king and the clown of 10 yrs ago.That girly pretty look really worked in that movie and earned him a huge popularity all over asia then. People got stuck with his look since then, and they talked about his look much more than his acting. Many years have passed and that look cant work anymore…..it is his case as per my subjective observation. Of course his fans would never agree, but why should I care?
@pigsnout: I have also noticed that many of your comments here are not lesser dumb.
Whether he’s manly or not in his dramas is a separate issue from whether he has more impressive success than King and the Clown. If you have not watched any of his works since K&C, then you are obviously not in good position to make a reasonable or proper observation of his acting after K&C.
K&C is one of the most impressive successes ever in Kmovie history, being in the top 2 box office for 7 years from 2005 to 2011. It will be hard to top that. And it would seem that in your eagerness to bash LJK, you have forgotten (or did you even know in the first place?) that Iljimae was one of the most successful dramas in 2008.
I can only agree that your observation is subjective and baseless.
@tamarine the quality of your comments is exactly what I would expect and my assessment seems to be shared by many people here.
And obviously you are in the minority here so please don’t leave any more comments, I feel bad for how dumb you make yourself look. Go back to soompi and keep stanning useless idol actors, it’s the natural home for people like you.
From your remark, it’s obvious that you have not seen any of his dramas at all. He exudes a manly AND heroic vibe in all his dramas. Recommend you watch TBDAW, Iljimae, Arang, Two Weeks & Joseon Gunman. One thing he is not is “girly”. And on screen, he’s just kickass!
YES!
i am so astonished! LJK didn’t make impressive success!!! what the hell is she talking about!! i just got bowld out after watching his acting as a gangstar in TBDAW! in fact i love that character most.he was so perfect.he is the rare one who can play with his character
You said it well! I have seen this at least 3 times and I love it and him more each time. The female actress your referring to does a good job, seemed a little young for the role, but pulls it off.LJK is so good looking, I don’t care who he is playing opposite. I just loved it! I will give a salute to LH (GWI) really good job.
Agreed. He looks too feminine for me. Never been impressed with his illustrious acting skills.
You even agreed to his illustrious acting yet never been impressed?! Looool~ Those who have watched him in others aside from K&C know he is a talented actor, and also a badass ๐
He’s a very good looking guy, period. I’ve never seen Clown and the King so that role doesn’t color my perception of him. He’s a great actor and amazing. What’s with your attitude? You insult LJK and the other commenters who disagree with you. Grow up!
He’s not handsome in MY book, and I agree that he doesn’t look manly. However, he mostly plays heroic character in his drama and he always rocks his part, very believable hero. He’s one of the finest young actor nowadays, so in conclusion, actor should rely on acting rather than look.
Han Groo’s not big name actress, but I like her acting ability. I would be fine with her doing a drama with LJK!
Han Groo was great in Girl K. Super tough action. She reminds me a bit of Han Ji Won from the athletic action stuff.
OMG OMG OMG. Please accept this role Jun Ki. He will look godly as a vampire. Besides his always “on point” acting, he has the look of a vampire. All they need to do is give him contact lens and thick eyebrows, and he will look like the character in the manhwa.
It’s one thing not to like an actress for her lack of skills and another not to like her acting projects and the roles she played therein.I’m one of those few who didn’t like Marriage Not Dating at all as well as the character she played there but I also admit as an actress she was fabulous there.So I understand why she has gained so many fans after this drama and am excited to see how well she does opposite LJK.
I’m also don’t like MND but there’s 2 people in that drama that I like. I watched HG kick ass in in her earlier work and I think she also can do more with this project.
LJK as a vampire in a cross dressing sageuk… if anyone could hit it out of the park it would be him. Looking forward to your recaps, should you pick up this proj.
Hmmmm…LJK is good at picking projects. I wonder what he likes about the character that draws him – that is, IF he accepts.
I know he could do a romcom, but good and interesting ones are rare. I wish someone would write one FOR him so we can see him in fancy modern clothes, a la SSH in My Princess. I am shallow like that.
There must be a certain personality that enjoys the grind of TV. Ha Ji Won, for example, does tv when she could just focus on films. I guess they are just extremely hard-working.
his last 2 drama was not that good. i blame his two actress for it. hope this time his lead actress will be better.
Last 2 dramas? “Two Weeks” was so good, inspirational and meaningful from every aspect.. superb plot, directing, actors’ acting, soundtracks! Recommand to everyone who hasn’t checked it ๐
Lee Jun Ki in saeguk
couldn’t ask for more
bring it on!!
but please have a good story and female lead,
I don;t have any in mind but whoever that can act as the character
but I read Park Hae Jin got the offer too
well both of them in saeguk? not complaining
just please executed it well ^^
First of all anything can happen in drama and this drama shouldn’t be put down. now that being said there is to many vampire genre in these days. Blood, orange marmelade and now this. no wonder why KSH declined this offer and came with something different and thats what he did. producer who would have thought that.
Lee Jun Ki is great for the role. I am not sure about Han Groo though.
I wish he would partner Ha Ji Won instead.
OMG..I was thinking the same thing. I really want to see one with LJK and HJW as pairing..powerful combination! They will sure kick some @ss!!!
Watch Girl K and you will see Han Groo in a more action oriented way. She reminds me of HJW from that aspect
And please, please, PLEASE give him a decent female lead!! I’m working on my possibles now. HJW will be busy if she takes the In Time With You remake. Han Groo? Good suggestion, even though she is much younger than I would want. A Shin Min Ah reunion? Oh yes!!
OMG Totally agree with you. Lee Jun ki and Shin Min Ah reunion!!
Those people who say that he can’t act manly are just blind. LJK is one of actors who can act with whatever is thrown at him. From feminine performer to a manly gangster then to a hero who helps the poor and punish the evils and from a dignified noble man to a wanted fugitive. This man can act it all. My two favorite dramas of his would be Ijimae and Two Weeks.
Lee jun ki!!! Yes!!! Vampires though? I guess its ok… I love him in sageuk.
I’ll watch him in anything ๐
He is talented actor and his fighting scenes are always entertaining. I will definitely give it a try in whatever drama he chooses to do.
I’m trying to feel this but I really wish he could pick a cute, modern drama for a break… Then again he’s done that cute C-movie so I guess he kind of did that.
@ pigsnout: Well well well, I didn’t know ms Koala has just recently hired u as her door guard. How much has she paid you? She could find someone better. My assessment for your guarding skill is nothing but NYC.
No matter what LJk’s fans say, the rating of TBDAW was considered an unexpected failure back then. Injimae, the most remarkable success after king and clown, saved him back thanks to the sageuk look reminded of the role in king and clown. What has happened since then? No movie hits as lead man either. Actors with trademark girly looks wouldn’t not go far in their career. I told myself this from day 1 of LJK’s hype, and I don’t intend to change my mind. Actually, LJK is not the one and only case.
About Suzy: would she hang out with costars if they bullied her? Don’t ask silly questions as if you knew who bullied her among her costars. And I didn’t say all her costars bullied her. Take a look at your very first cmt to which I first responded. You mentioned some with sageuk look but couldn’t act like Suzy. That was why I had to mention her stuff in GFB. Now you even involve lee yoo bi to enhance your reason? Remember: LYB is an actress, not idol, who has played just second leads. And as second leads, if her acting was even worse than Suzy’s, people wouldn’t care much to criticise. Suzy is bad in modern dramas as well? Well, even her veteran costars couldn’t be better.