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It’s nice to see a casting rumor come true if it’s someone I think is a really good fit for the project. K-actor Park Hyung Sik is finishing up his military service and all eyes are on his comeback project. I wrote in December 2020 that he was angling to be the male lead for the K-drama adaptation of the Chinese period novel The Golden Hairpin (簪中录 Zhan Zhong Lu or Memoirs in the Hairpin). Now it’s confirmed as K-ent has reported that Park Hyung Sik will indeed be the male lead, and his agency confirmed the offer but said it is merely one of many roles he’s considering. China is already adapting the novel into the C-drama The Golden Hairpin (with a different Chinese title 青簪行 Qin Zhan Xing) starring popular leads Yang Zi and Kris Wu (Wu Yi Fan) which doesn’t have an air date yet but is likely second half of 2021. The novel is much loved so it’s no surprise to see K-ent taking the source material for a Korean take. It’s an investigative romance with a female Sherlock Holmes type accused of murdering her own family who teams up with the undercover prince to solve crimes and also clear her name. Count me in!
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Yikes! Nam Ji Hyun will be Park Hyung Sik’s perfect sidekick as Enola Holmes type. Seeing my beloved Da Bong with someone else will be sooo hard to swallow. Please drama gods, Soop boss and mama Mrs Nam, please persuade Ji Hyun to fight for this role. I always imagine JH to be playing a female detective whether it’s modern or sageuk which is her specialty. I have missed Hyung Sik so much too, this is his perfect post MS comeback. Please please don’t mess it up with a meh FL with zero chemistry like so many duds.
PHS & NJH detective duo??? I already see their chemistry
Yes, they chemistry in spades. My reply to you went way down below. Lol
female centric drama, and they use phs for the hype?
Its going to follow the trajectory of the chinese drama adaptation. Boost up the male protagonist’s role and play down the female to give them both equal footing as the dynamic investigative duo. My biggest concern is his co-star. All the top females actresses in the right age range are either filming a project or signed on for others. The female protagonist is supposed to be only 17 in the book i think but the china side also casted an actress in her late 20s so likely it will be the same for this case. Kim so hyun would have been perfect for this drama imo. My gut is they will either cast an actress with so-so fame or 30s A-list actress. Jin Se Yeon? #facepalm
I actually wouldn’t mind Jin Se Yeon. She is really good in saeguks. Is Kim Tae Ri busy? She would also do really well.
It would be wonderful if Kim Tae Ri could be cast as the female lead, although I think she is leaning more towards making movies. She’s a great actress and they would be perfect together! Lee Se-Young would be my second choice, I was very impressed with her as the graceful Queen in “The Crowned Clown”. She and Park Hyung Sik are around the same age and they would make a great couple. However, I believe she has just signed up for another drama? And Jin Se Yeon would be my third choice.
Seems like the main female role requires a strong or charismatic actress, so I agree that Kim So Hyun would’ve been perfect if only she’s not in another drama already.
I agree also with Kim Tae Ri and Lee Se Young.
And please not Jin Se Yeon. I don’t mean to offend, but even though she’s better in sageuks, she’s always been a weak actress to me. Bridal Mask casting was almost perfect except for the casting of her in the female lead.
Jin Se Yeon one of the very few actresses who has not announced any projects yet. Hence my guess. Or maybe Shin Se Kyung who finished Run On sometime ago. Btw the two I guess the later is slightly better but I don’t really like both. Theres also Moon Gayoung who does a few series a year but I am kinda tired of her. She’s a bit overexposed at the moment. There’s casting calls to a few Alist actresses but I doubt they will take it. If the actress ends up not up to par, he will have to do hard carrying. I would love to see a Park Boyoung reunion but she seems to avoid sageuks.
I’m generally a realist when analysing which K-dramas will do well. When I saw the writer’s name as the one who wrote Lovestruck in the City, my mind went straight to “What the heck?” I like the PD but it hinges on the chemistry & storyline which are the most crucial elements. PHS is my Oppa here so I’m willing to watch 16-20 hours of him reciting the analects or reading the phone book so be it.
I’ve been waiting for Phs’ comeback and this is most like in the bag already as his agency has said they already had a meeting with the writer and director. What I am most likely wary is who will be the female lead as sageuk is a very difficult genre to pull off. Really hoping Kim Tae Ri or Moon Geun Young will be the female lead. I’m just glad that Hyungsik will be given a chance to make another sageuk to erase the disservice Hwarang gave to his character.
All the comments above made me really worried over the casting choice of the FL. Kim Tae Ri would be super perfect but very unlikely. My second pick would be IU. Han So Hee already attached to some other project. But please, not Jin Se Yeon or Jin Ki Joo or Suzy. Please No.
While I am so excited cos PHS is my ultimate bias but going up against a C-drama adaptation within the nearest time of airing is really not a good idea esp having Yang Zi as FL and not to mention China always do better than Korea when executing a period drama.
Just praying the best for this comeback drama of my boy.
Anyway, does anyone has any idea if the setting would be in Joseon or Goryeo?
Usually productions try to avoid pairing both leads from idol backgrounds. This is a well known taboo in the industry. So while PHS and IU will look perfect on paper, unfortunately its not gonna happen with top directors and scriptwriters. I would love IU as well. Kim Taeri is more chungmuro so chances of her taking another drama is quite slim. Kinda bad timing for the drama really. Hope they land an actress that can really elevate the buzz of the drama.
I don’t agree. Seo In Guk and Jung Eun Ji were both from idol backgrounds with zero to minimal acting experience before Answer Me/Reply 97. Yet the director cast them in the drama & propelled tvN into the big league & hit duet All For You. The rest is history.
Now it’s making me wonder how many idol pairings there are outside of the dramas that were produced with idols in mind (eg. SM produced ‘To The Beautiful You’ with Minho & Sulli)
You had Siwan and Yoona in ‘The King Loves’, L and Nara in ‘Royal Secret Agent’and those pairings probably only happened because Siwan and Nara are now more known as actors rather than idols.
Im Si-Wan and Yoona in The King in Love drama were both from idol backgrounds.
TOP name directors and scriptwriters and productions. Reply 1997- PD Kim Wonho is writing and directing a drama for the very first time. With limited budget resources and the channel taking a chance with his switch as well, it became what it is. But look at his decisions after the huge success, he went back to the traditional model and used actors instead. Anyway up to you to believe.
@Mia – SM invested dramas
Eunji is from an idol background, but Seo In Guk isn’t. He is often mistaken for an idol, but his career was launched through the hit talent competition show Superstar K. Seo In Guk gained popularity with TV viewers who voted him the winner of the show’s very first season. He was signed to an agency as a soloist right after he won, and his first single was released less than a month later. Idols, on the other hand, often have to go through years of an agency’s rigorous trainee system without any guarantee of debuting. Interesting enough, Eunji only had to train two months due to her solid vocal skills.
SM invested in ‘The King Loves’ and ‘Royal Secret Agent’?
@mia. Investment wise for King Loves. Yes. Most dramas like royal secret agent going with two crossover idol to acting leads are never top billed productions flanked with big production budgets/star writers/sought after PDs. Look at the crossover top stars like IU, have you seen her big name projects casted with other crossover idols? No. Same as Park Hyung Sik. His management would not allow it either especially since hes trying to establish himself as a top actor, they would always want him opposite an actress rather than an idol for credibility reasons. People cab try to be as woke about this as they want but this is the truth in korean entertainment. The lines are still strongly drawn between kpop and acting and even chungmuro.
The lack of dual idol leads in dramas and movies is no surprise to me (there’s enough backlash with just one idol receiving a lead role). I was just racking my brain to see how many, that were not from obvious idol productions, actually made the cut. SM has received a lot of backlash over the years for their idols being everywhere and it’s well known they’ve invested in dramas including producing their own over the years. They already had their own production company with SM C&C which included a merger with Jang Dong Gun’s acting agency AM Entertainment, and a couple of years ago they acquired Keyeast and purchased controlling shares of FNC’s drama production company and rebranded it as their own. Most of the A-List actors that came with those mergers left for other agencies once their contracts expired. I didn’t hear anything about SM’s investment in ‘The King Loves’, but with their own idol Yoona as the star, it doesn’t surprise me.
Back to the subject of dual idol leads, the only other dual idol leads I can think of include actors that were former 1st generation girl group/boy band members (I don’t think they were called idols back then but they’re referred to as 1st gen idols now).
I MISS YOU
Yoon Eun Hye (Baby Vox)/Yoochun (TVXQ/JYJ)
MARRY HIM IF YOU DARE
Yoon Eun Hye (Baby Vox)/Yonghwa (CNBLUE)
FULL HOUSE 2
Hwang Jung Eum (Sugar)/No Min Woo (TRAX)
LET’S EAT 2
Seo Hyun Jin (M.I.L.K)/Doojoon (Beast/Highlight)
ANOTHER OH HAE YOUNG
Eric (Shinhwa)/Seo Hyun Jin (M.I.L.K)
COME BACK MISTER
Rain/Oh Yeon Seo (LUV)
MANHOLE
Jaejoong (TVXQ/JYJ)/Uee (After School)
WOK OF LOVE
Jung Ryeowon (Chakra)/Junho (2PM)
MYSTIC POP-UP BAR
Hwang Jung Eum (Sugar)/Yook Sungjae (BTOB)
@mia – wow. thats some amazing research you have there. For some reason the scrutiny isn’t as hard for the first gen idols turned actors like Yoon Eun Hye and Eric. I think when a long time has passed since they crossover, the respect for their numerous work as actors are gradually recognised. So its good. Always help when they are part of a hallyu hit drama and in Yoon Eun Hye’s case she had Goong and Coffee Prince. Eric still carry some vibes as an idol actor though since Shinhwa is still active but Seo Hyunjin – I dont even know which girl group she was from as her idol days had almost no recognition. But yes Im super glad you too see the bias of the industry but tbh I’m all for it. There are too many talented actresses passed over for idol actors.
Some would probably say she would be too cutesy for the role, but can we have Park Bo Young for the female lead? Her chemistry with PHS was off the charts in SWDBS! Plus she can pull off less cutesy roles too. Probably won’t happen, but I really want to see them in another drama!
I think my girl Kim So Hyun would be perfect too, and I’m not just saying this because I’m biased, she just really shines in that kind of role. I don’t think she’ll do back to back sageuks tho.
Kim Ji Won and Kim Tae Ri are my other choices too, but like everyone already said, KTR seems more movie-focused.
PBY will be good, i also curious how she act in sageuk. But she look busy with her modern drama with SIG and her upcoming movie.
I love Kim Sohyun in sageuk, but i hope she take a rest for awhile after busy re-shoot RWTMR. It really tough year for her.
My other choice is NJH, but she already have other drama right. Well, most pure actress in twenty with good acting look like already busy this year.
@LaraDe Oh damn I forgot about the SIG drama. Well, that’s too bad then.. But I really wish they’ll reunite in another drama in the future! NJH would be a good choice too! Ah, really too bad, they’re all already booked lol
Kim So Hyun in a female centric drama again with a strong writing this time would be great but I know she’s tired and she deserves a rest. My hardworking girl. Plus, a segeuk again is harder to film than a modern drama.
Has Lee Sung Kyung done a segeuk before? She and PHS are cute in their “True Colors” cover. They don’t have a drama together but they already have chemistry IMO.
@Kim Yeah, as a fan, I really want a long proper rest for our girl, it’s more like a wishful thinking that I mentioned her because this kind of role is really perfect for her lol
And yes to Lee Sung Kyung! Don’t know why I’ve forgotten to mention her, she’d be a really good choice too! I’ve seen some people say she’s too modern-looking, but I think she’ll look really good in sageuk attire!
I’d vote for Lee Se Young. I can just imagine her in this type of role, like in Kairos.
@dandelionplusme, NJH has perfect chemistry with PSH in What Happened To My Family. This 50 episode 2014 drama is so popular that Netflix started screening it this year. NJH already displayed a hint of the detective in 100 DMP when her character opened a problem-solving agency to pay off her husband’s debts. Plus her family was also accused of being traitors to the king and her father executed. NJH started shooting 8 episode Witch drama in early March which will finish sometime in May. She still has time to shoot this sag with PHS.
Yup. Productions don’t go more than 4 months to shoot 8 ep drama. Hard to see NJH going back to sageuk though. She’s leaning towards other genres and probably go on a six month hiatus again like she does each year. She seems very contented raising her fur kitties nowadays.
@observer: NJH and her kitties are inseparable now.
Yes! NJH also already did detective role long before 100 DMP with the 4 episodes Maiden Detective Park Hae-sol. I’m so excited but have to lower my expectation, because girl is being unpredictable with her drama choices after 100 DMP. Is it Soop’s doing or what, I dont have a guess. TT
I sympathise with you @dandelionplusme 1 & 2. Soop probably not at fault. They brought her roles in SKL, SP & 100 DMP. Maybe she’s just the type to chill and work when she wants to. Park Bo Young is like that too. One drama every 2 years. Kim Sa Rang also seldom acts. Seems like JH & her family can afford this lifestyle financially, so why not enjoy it? My other theory which I will make into my own k-drama (tongue in cheek) is that JH is happy in a secret rship most likely with a fellow actor who’s well-known. They are happily spending time together hence reduced workload on her side if she makes that choice. Any sane person would be bored to tears not working for 6 months just hanging out at home with your kittens/mum/dad/sis. Even I got fed up with my partner after endless rounds of lockdowns, snapping at each other at times, lol.
If China was smart, they’d air their version sooner then later.
@Neen
I’m not looking forward to the comparisons that will arise if both the Cdrama and Kdrama air within the same period. Personally, I don’t watch remakes for this very reason, I tend to stick to the original version and my brain constantly ends up comparing both versions to the detriment of the newer one. I do hope the C-drama airs soon as there has been so much hype surrounding it -but considering the Chinese Censorship board, anything is possible. I wonder if the news that the K-drama version is being produced, will speed up things?
even if cdrama airs first there are high chances of kdrama being better considering hyungsik is way superior to kris wu when it comes to acting and kdramas dont do dubbing the voice of the actors…
C-dramas have better executions in period pieces but I am still looking forward to the Korean adaptation since tvn will be the broadcasting network so quality will also not be compromised. But there is already a circulating news that c-drama adaptation will not do voice dubbing for this one. Already saw the teaser of Golden Hairpin, and they do used the actor’s original voices.
LOL Korean remakes tend to be extremely bad, doesn’t matter who’s in there.
Nope. Mr Queen was dollops better than the c-drama it was adapted from. This production is backed with serious money and rumoured to be TVNs most expensive production the 2nd half of 2021. Apart from the actors, I can’t wait to see the overall production value. Mr. Queen had amazing sets, wardrobe and styling. As long as they stay with that team, steer clear of hwarangs costume and styling peoplr, it should be good :p
That’s not fair to claim Mr Queen was superior to its C drama counterpart when they had a bigger budget and seasoned actors.
@lydia1, that’s like one out of A LOT of really bad kdrama remakes.
Mr. Queen is also good and has been executed excellently that is why I am trusting TVN for the remake of Golden Hairpin. But speaking in general, costume c-dramas has this special touch and superiority when it comes to making this type of genre. Most of their period pieces are very excellent too maybe because of nice costumes and the intricacy of the sets they use (more colorful and lively) which are more pleasing to the eyes.
PHS! hoping for a reunion project for PHS and my fave Nam Ji Hyun..
Wow @observer, you have such great imagination, eh? So any actor/actress who chooses not to work for periods of time maybe secretly dating? Stop trolling us. I can tell you’re not a real fan. Just fishing for gossip and slandering our girl. Shoo, go away.
i dont think its soop’s doing… all the other soop actors have pretty good movies/dramas… soop is also good at keeping their actor’s personal life private and very few actors have left the agency… they manage to keep the actors they have happy… njh seems to happy with her agency… she might not want to stick to just rom-coms and want to try out different genres and dont care that her popularity wont increase in the process… she did 3 back to back rom-coms and all were successful… 365 repeat the year had critical acclaim and almost everyone who saw it liked it… even though her porjects nowadays dont have the ‘commercial value’ or wont help her become more popular it might solidify her range as an actress… korean general public seems to adore her and she might only be concentrating on the korean market… good looking female actors gets forgotten by korean public when someone new and fresh comes in but koreans value good actors for a longer time…
Going to light a candle for a FL who can actually act. *sigh* sucks that in k-ent we have to go through such emotions, talentless people keep getting recasted
tvn went for shin hye sun for mr.queen and mr.queen looked like a pretty high budget drama… she is a good actress but wasn’t exactly very popular… i hope they do the same here… go for good actors instead of popular ones…
Shin Hye Sun is a top award winning actress in Korea. Her dramas are ratings gold and even her movies. She is very sought after. Kim Jung Hyun who was inundated with gazillion offers after his memorable showing in Crash Landing took on Mr Queen largely because of her casting. Shes better known as the actor’s actor. Thats why she was apparently the first choice for that drama as they needed an actress who could pull off the demanding role
@lydia
shin hye sun definitely has critical acclaim and so does kim jung hyun but they both exactly arent popular actors that can bring in the buzz esp when we talk about international fanbase… those two are like good actors who are appreciated by everyone but dont have a very strong dedicated fan following…
by popular actors i meant like suzy, yoona for idol-actors who are basically there just to increase the glamour quotion or actors like park min young or kim ji won who are necessarily not bad actors but are not exactly strong enough to carry an entire drama like how park bo young did with swdbs or shin hye sun did with mr.queen… they are good when the drama is heavily on the romance side or when the main focus of the drama is on the male lead…
This is a female centric drama, they need to find the right female lead first. Productions should really get their priorities sorted.
The production made it a buzz/ big deal because this will be PHS’ comeback after the military. For sure they have secured afemale lead already as it was rumored they will be shooting in April and slated to be shown Aug or Sep this year. Hopefully, the one that they got is really a strong actress for the role.
They haven’t announced it yet but I am sure follow up news will be next week or early April.
@ Mal
So true! While I have full confidence that Park Hyung Sik will as usual deliver a brilliant performance in this drama, picking the right female lead will ultimately hold the key in whether or not the drama is a failure or success as the drama relies heavily on the compatibility and chemistry from both leads. I still believe that Kim Tae Ri is the ultimate perfect candidate because she has the star power and is an acclaimed and well-respected actress who has won multiple rewards. However, this is just a wishful thinking on my part and the chances of this happening is extremely slim to zero. That said, NJH should be an excellent alternative and makes the most sense because 1) she’s a good actress and should be available by the time the drama starts shooting and 2) she has proven chemistry with Park Hyung Sik from their previous drama.
Whatever the decision the production team makes, I hope it will work out. Park Hyung Sik is a truly gifted actor who has worked hard to come this far, I sincerely hope that whoever they picked as the female lead will complement him and elevate him to a higher level as an authentic actor, and not just another handsome idol trying to “play” actor!
NJH is definitely out. Shes signed onto another drama at the moment. Once thats done, she will go on break. Very few artists are like Song Kang willing to do back to back but he’s probably trying to do more work in lieu of his military draft next year. Since its such a big budget production, most likely they will go with actresses like Jin Se Yeon or Shin Se Kyung since they both have a wealth of sageuk experience or do their best to persuade older Alist actresses to take it on. Hmmm… Neither Moon Chae Won nor Han Hyo Joo have announced any new projects come to think of it.
@Lydia1, what makes you think NJH will 100% go on break once she’s done with Witch’s Restaurant? It’s only 8 ep. That’s it? All finished for 2021 already? Care to share your industry insights/knowledge about NJH’s modus operandi? You seem very confident in predicting this. So @observer maybe right after all in saying NJH is already fully booked in her personal life. I am still holding out hope NJH will get the offer and take it. It’s coming from tvN where she scored big with 100DMP.
I agree with @12321 that NJH is a good alternative. The movie production of Concrete Utopia is willing to wait for Park Bo Young to finish shooting Doom At Your Service with Seo In Guk in late April. Originally, CU was slated to start shooting in March/April but now possibly delayed to early May after Doom starts airing. tvN maybe willing to wait for NJH to finish shooting Witch in late April. She has a good working relationship with tvN on 100 DMP. Really hoping NJH will be considered. She’s too good to be working so few episodes & honest to god, squash those silly dating rumours for good as well.
Oh Yeah! PHS is perfect for this role! Praying that they get a really good actress for the FL since the drama storyline is female centric. The PD is Okay but I’m a little worried about the screenwriter. Her past dramas have been hit or miss for me (mostly miss), although I know she’s got a ton of fans. Hoping that since this will be an adaptation of existing source novel, the writing will be good.
a general question:
why is there no reply option under some comments?
I hope they cast someone PHS has not work together before.
Not those same old actress or idol since its sageuk.
Actually the second female lead actress in Mr Queen caught my eyes but she is lesser known so unlikely.
Looking forward to seeing PHS in sageuk!
For female leads, maybe they can consider the following:
Lee Yu Bi – liked her in most of her projects, especially A Poem a Day, and Gu Family Book, chalking Scholar who Walks the Night to a poorly written character, well, poorly written overall
Kim So Hyun – always, always delivers, and character wise looks tailored fit for her. However, I would like to see her rest and enjoy and well deserved break first. Poor girl looks so exhausted during the Love Alarm 2 promos
Kim Saeron – is she avail? what is she up to these days? i really want to see her pick a project that becomes a hit. compared to the two kims, she’s very underrated.
Jung Da Bin – another child actress who’s all grown up now. one of those solid young actress whom i feel needs to find that breakthrough role. loved her portrayal of min hee in extracurricular. she also has experience in sageuks.