Well this is happening earlier than when pigs fly, but then again I’ll see the ink on the contract first before I even start getting excited. K-ent is reporting that A-list movie stars Jeon Ji Hyun and Kang Dong Won are in talks for a K-drama Polaris, from the PD and screenwriter of the drama Little Women. All of this sounds great on paper but bear in mind that Kang Dong Won has never done a drama so I genuinely have major doubts he will end up doing it. The drama is about spies that have lost their identity finding their way again through life and love. If it’s confirmed the drama is slated to shoot later this year with a 2024 release date.
Kang Dong Won has done dramas (he was the male lead in the original 1% of Anything). It’s just been 20 years since his last one. That being said, I don’t see him signing up for this either.
Wait, pretty sure the PD of Little Women (Kim Hee Won) is already occupied with Queen of Tears. But also, lol this would be quite something if it does happen. It ain’t happening until I see actual trailers tho. KDW has openly said he’d never do a drama lol.
KHW is probably going to do Queen of Tears first and then this. She and the Little Women writer have been talking about this spy drama in interviews.
The Korean film industry is lagging and KDW won’t be the first Chungmuro star heading to the small screen.
I’m old, i remember watching him in “Magic” with Kim Hyo Jin and 1% of anything with Kim Jung Hwa .
That makes me old as well because i, too, have watched those 2 dramas!
I remember reading a while back that Kang Dong Won said that he is actually open to doing dramas but just doesn’t get many offers, 1% of anything is still one of my fav dramas, such a sweet guilty pleasure <3
Maybe this will be produced or distributed by Netflix. That can convince KDW to go back to dramaland. I CAN’T WAIT! THIS WILL BE AWESOME!
I’m still amazed at the amount of influence veteran actresses in their 40s and 50s have to this day. Did older actresses have this much influence when Jun Jihyun and her peers were in their 20s and early 30s? This year we have Song Hyekyo on Netflix, Jeon Doyeon on TVN and Lee Boyoung on JTBC delivering back to back hits and its only March. Next we have Kim Taehee on ENA, Han Jimin on JTBC, Seo Hyunjin on Netflix and Gong Hyojin, Lee Youngae and Jun Jihyun all on TVN next year. 2023-2024 is going to be the golden era of veteran actresses yet again dominating television. Baeksang is going to be fierce for the next 2 years. There’s no scope for 20s actresses at this point. I’ve never seen an older generation so absolutely dominate over a younger generation to this extent. Especially for actresses since the audience is always looking for the next Pretty Young Thing but clearly not anymore. Hurray to older women finally owning people in their ‘prime’.
Don’t be so gleeful about young actresses not getting a shot at meaty roles. A day will come when the people you’re talking about will absolutely age out of main roles and then we’ll be left with few quality actresses.
True, but some young actresses are really good too . In fact, the generation of all theses veteran actresses have one thing that younger ones will never have , long careers . Nowadays, one can become popular overnight with one big hit but that’s all . Next day , there is another one . Long career a la Song Hye Kyo is not anymore possible . The same goes for Hollywood , i don’t think that Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence,… will have the same trajectory as Julia Roberts, … Times change, all is going too fast , no time for young artits to become legends . Even if they are gifted .
Which day though? I mean aren’t these women already in their 40s to 50s? I don’t see them ageing out before 70. Which is faaar. 20 years hence the actors that will be in their 20s haven’t even been born yet or are just toddlers. I agree that the current generation of actresses in their 20s has no influence and are completely overshadowed by actresses much older who should have already phased out. I guess this is what happens when people have the attention span of goldfish.
I agree with you. When I first watched k dramas in 2010, it’s always about the new blood. However, I like some of the veterans and I don’t mind seeing them in more shows. I guess tv stations also profit if the stars can bring in ratings. If veterans can continue to bring in viewership, why should they be replaced
I don’t think it’s because they’re greater. They started when there was less actresses, less channels/streaming networks. When KBS, MBC and SBS were the main channels and were getting 20% ratings for their dramas. Now, it’s not possible anymore but not because the quality isn’t here or the actors are bad, just because the system changer, the viewers changed too.
@Sayaris Exactly. Like, I respect these Hallyu pioneers as much as the next KDrama fan, but it’s like people have selective memory. I mean, have people forgotten the days when people were criticizing the acting of Song Hye Kyo and Kim Tae Hee during their younger days? 😂
If anything, comparing their performances when they were in their 20s to the performances of many popular 20-something actresses nowadays when they were the same age as them, (ie. the two Kims), many young actresses today are better, acting-wise. It’s just that, as you said, there were less competition, less channels, and no streaming platforms back then yet. And they also have beauty and charisma/It factor/mass appeal, I won’t deny that. That’s why most of them are successful, not exactly because of great acting. Even Jun Ji Hyun, who’s considered the best actress in TaeHyeJi, isn’t exactly Jeon Do Yeon-level in acting.
Again, not bashing these veteran actresses, I respect them and their longevity is impressive. But I find it laughable that people here are pretending the younger gen actresses lack talent compared to the older actresses that’s why none of them are mega A-listers yet, when we all know many factors come into play when it comes to obtaining immense fame
@Zimzalabim I’m pretty sure the main point that @Arizao is making is that veteran actresses are no longer being cast aside because they are too old to be leads and bring in ratings. I don’t think you all realize how relevant it is that these actress despite being huge names in their 20s are STILL HUGE NAMES IN IN THEIR 40s! That never ever happened till even 15 years ago. Do you think TaeJiHye had less competition? Then Yeon Yu Jeong in her 20s had even less competition but she got thrown away after getting married and moving to the US. There are actresses who were in their 20s in the 1970s and 1980s who had to stop being actresses after getting married and hitting their 30s. Its not NORMAL for older actresses to have this much influence and power till this date at such an advanced age because older actresses are not considered desirable while young nubile assumed to be virgin actresses fuel men’s fantasies and are the standards that young women measure themselves by. @Sayaris I disagree completely, the older actresses are definitely greater BECAUSE THEY SURVIVED THE OTT MADNESS. So many new actresses to replace them and each getting more and more exposure and media play than the last but put them in the same screen as these much older veteran actresses and they pale in comparison. I’ve always thought that actresses in their 20s are all half baked and lack any real talent because they haven’t even lived it. That’s why we see the new big memorable breakouts coming from the actresses in their 30s because practice makes perfect and life experiences make you a more rounded and grounded. These fresh faced girls in their 20s aren’t ready for real acting so let them do teeny bopper romance dramas that nobody cares about. The real deal are the older actresses who are thriving and pulling in massive salaries and ratings and remain the most influential till this day. They are going across genres and breaking barriers that have never been broken before.
This idea of “the older generation of actresses dominating the younger generation of actresses” is an interesting topic for discourse that I wish more viewers can talk about as much as enthusiasts of different generations do in Kpop. While it’s much easier to gain and widen a following nowadays with the rise of OTT platforms, JJH and her contemporaries still had it easier to reach the S-tier level and create a lasting impact than most young actresses today due to lesser competition for roles and audience’s interest during their younger years. I agree that it’s certainly all about who’s the flavor of the month nowadays, making the audience have a harder time finding who really among the newer batch of actresses are the trustworthy ones in the long run, so they’re likely to end up staying loyal to the veterans especially if it’s a quality work. Even so, while the simpler system is more favorable to the older gen back then, such elite status wasn’t achieved overnight and it took them years of hard work and consistency to come through. That being said, I still have faith on the younger actresses (particularly those who’ve started young and remained passionate and grounded all along) having long and stable careers but it surely won’t be easy for them at this age of social media. The early 90s-born actresses are just starting to get there and maybe sooner or later the late 90s-born actresses will follow once they find their breakout roles as lead actresses. It’s really just a matter of luck and timing.
I don’t know about JJH but I can see KDW going for this project depending on whether this project end up in cable or Netflix. After leaving long time agency YG Entertainment back in December he is yet to signed up with any other management agency for his korean activities and realistically he needs to get traction with the domestic public is been really long since he has done anything in the small screen. Unless his plan is to try his hand on the US.
Ms. Koala, maybe you meant Kang Dong Won haven’t done any drama for a long time. Because he did Country Princess, 1%, and Magic back in the days. Hopefully, he will sign for this one. I like to see him in dramaland 🙂
I was really excited for JJH duo in Jirisan and the drama was really bad. So I will wait to see it this time.