I remain eagerly anticipating Lee Kyung Hee‘s upcoming KBS drama Arbitrarily Fond, or whatever the final title will be or even if there will be one standard translation of the title. Starring Kim Woo Bin and Suzy, the drama has just confirmed its hot property status on just the two leads alone by reportedly being scooped up by one of China’s top online video streaming portals, after a heated bidding war, for a price that just beat the current top sales price held by another KBS drama Producer.
That’s an impressive feat since Producer was sold to China at astronomical prices, taking into account this depressed ratings economy, solely on the star power of Kim Soo Hyun in that country. Professor Do Min Joon’s popularity in China is no joke. The Chinese media is calling the sales price of Arbitrarily Fond the Kim Woo Bin effect, which has some truth to it since he’s been popular there thanks to Heirs and Suzy is well known enough in China but arguably not as much as Kim Woo Bin yet.
Aside from Arbitrarily Fond getting a Chinese buy at top prices, the drama is also going into production earlier than expected. it’s scheduled to start filming next month, which dovetails with industry chatter that Descendants of the Sun won’t be airing in March of 2016 after all and will get another short delay. If Arbitrarily Fond is starting filming earlier then it makes sense the two dramas will switch around airing dates, with AF landing first in early Spring followed by DotS in late Spring/early Summer. Doesn’t matter either way to me, both dramas are basically 1-2 on my most anticipated K-drama short list.
wow wow wow, I’m anticipating this drama more than descendent of sun so this is really one hell of a good news to me????, KWB fighting!
Following the footsteps of producer, I keep telling people to not have an expectation of anything or it will disappoint them ,so it’s better to go in this drama without expectations to avoid disappointment.
A very good attitude to have, I think. After all, Suzy is a rather mediocre actress who gets by on her cute and perky personality rather than any great acting chops, and Kim Woo Bin has had a few good moments but I really wasn’t impressed with the work he did in Twenty and I wonder if he is going to coast now that he has a lot of fame.
Dear Ms Koala,
I’m not sure if it’s just me or some of your other readers are also having problems accessing your blog. It always takes me about more than 10 repeated tries to finally get through to your blog. I’m not complaining tho just FYI in case it’s happening to your pther readers as well.
Kthxbye. 🙂
me too,
YES, me three…
who are the second leads? have they been casted yet?
That’s what I want to know too. Like, they don’t even have a PD! But then, they were really hush hush about the pairing before news came out so maybe it’d be the same for the rest.
Its not Descendants of the Sun, its Mirage of the Sun.
As if Suzy had nothing to do with the hype. She may not be as popular, but she’s not some unknown non factor. With all this publicity I’m thinking this drama will be a one-man show to help KWB raise his profile and have Suzy as some pretty accessory, as opposed to have her have a go at melo (and acting!) What with Lee and him been from the same agency….
Not taking shots at you Koala! Just my thoughts on all I’ve heard from this drama.
Too much conspiracy theory for the drama that didn’t even start shooting. Can you just wait and see I don’t know, first two episodes?
And? Not like Kim Woo Bin was not voted 2nd most in demand actor by industry heavy weights. Lee personally picked her leads, can we not doubt that the writer herself better knows what she expects her leads to be.
SidusHQ co-production company. To make money you need to invest them first. One of their writers wrote a new drama, choose her lead who happens to be in the same company as her, SidusHQ just saw opportunity to do an inside company production. Without a doubt they would mediaplay about Kim Woo Bin (as well as JYP mediaplaying with Suzy). They have a product to sell.
@silverandgold Nowhere in my comment did I say it was a bad thing, I was just pointing out what I think. And I like KWB, so it’s not like I’m crucifying him or SidusHQ for basically doing their job. I actually thought I’d offend Suzy fans more for the pretty accessory comment than KWB fans for implying he is going to run the show o.O
Wish they took lee yoo bi instead of suzy
Hey, Koala, I think you mistagged Barbie Hsu.
Not too excited for this drama so I don’t want DoTS to be pushed back(yet again). I need me my Joong Ki fix lol.
Will that drama ever see the light of the day?(no pun intended haha)
I’m waiting for Descendants of the Sun
Sidus’s media play
Yeah, I saw a bunch of k-net’s comments on the original article talking about how SidusHQ was media playing KWB in this article. Especially, given the fact that no real figures or stats have been made available and the Chinese companies are still in talks for the selling price.
They also couldn’t even get the highest sold drama right in the article lol…
yep lol. pretty obvious honestly
I find both of them to be quite one dimensional in their acting abilities but hope this one will change the view, I know this probably is a very unpopular opinion especially about KWB but I find him okay mostly. His acting isn’t spectacular. I hope this drama will not disappoint and will be a chance for both to properly shine as actors.
Agree. If anything comes of this in terms of stretching their acting abilities, though, I will be surprised because it sounds like just another trope-laden rom-com.
I love Kim Woo-bin so much! But I cannot stand melos, which this sounds like, and I abhor Suzy playing anything serious. She was serviceable in Big because she was funny. But I don’t think I can stomach her dragging Woo-bin down. Yuck.
unlike others, I am actually anticipating to see their drama because I am curious if they can soften their fierce image and I don’t usually watch something like descendent of the sun which is about wars and soldiers?Unless the story is based on true to life story just like saving private ryan and red cliff .
There is really now proof of this news like there was with huge sales of Producer, Pinocchio or Jekyll and Hide. This sound like typical mediplayed in order to show KWB is on same level in China as Kim Soo Hyun,Lee Min Ho and Lee Jong Suk. Which his not.
I agree that this is his company’s mediaplay and they’ve been mediaplaying his name with LMH KSH LJS since 2013, but I do think he’s on a similar level in China since Heirs was huge and he’s the one that gained the most fans from it. It’s Kim Soohyun Lee Minho (big gap) Lee Jongsuk (gap) Kim Woobin. He’s fourth on the totem pole.
The lack of actual figures is always telling in this type of media play. It’s very to say it (or other dramas) are record breaking when there is no proof for any of it.
as always average actors being hyped and average actress getting the hate. when things will change? why model actors get so much free pass than actresses?
It’s interesting when people call them model-actors when they quit modeling to build their acting career. If you were a zookeeper and then quit the job to become a technician, would you still be called zookeeper-technician at your new job? The reason why idol-actors are called that is because they’re still active idols and it’s still their main job.
+1
you sure those models quit? they should stay away from magazines and run ways ? Idols and even models who turned actors get hate because their acting is bad. That is all nothing more.
@ant
By your logic, every single actor/actress is a model since they all do pictorials in magazines. I guess Song Kangho is a model actor too then, huh?
KWB did one runway for Sewing Boundaries in all these years because the designers is one of his closest friends. He didn’t do it as a job, he did it out of loyalty to his friend. I doubt you’ll see him frequent runways.
If you want to criticize him as an actor then just criticize him as an actor, what does his previous job have to do with it.
Many k-netz comments that’s just mediaplay from sidus, I love woobin but yes,sidus seemed want to show that woobin has same popularity level with soohyun, minho, or jongsuk which I think he has not reached that level yet, tbh….
Anyway can’t wait for the drama, I need this one asap because my jongsuk is still enjoying his hiatus…
this was already denied by its own production company, SamHwa. it was Sidus sides’ media play for KWB ugh.
KWB agency trying so hard to make KWB happen. Suzy is actually in demand herself both domestic and overseas. Sidus want to make this a kwb show when he hasn’t make a lone hit associated to him.
So it SidusHQ media play. It known among the fans that JYPE never did media play on their idols beside the regular promo and announcement.
@_@
JYPE never did any media play…? It’s their life blood, same as all the others. I think JYP would be hurt to hear that you have so little appreciation for the fine work that they do.
@skelly: Yes, it is true that JYPE never did any media play. Not that I aware of. It just not in their blood. Even when Taecyeon ask JYPE to do chart modification. They refused. Take Suzy as example, they never outsold or praise Suzy even if she did something good. They just clarified/confirm it. Unlike Seolhyun where FNC made she like the 2nd Suzy on every article that they released it.