Hong Sisters Next Drama Starts Production in 2021, Fantasy Romance Set 1000 Years Ago Around Divination and Sorcery
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The pandemic this year delayed the start of the Hong Sisters next drama which they had been prepping after Hotel Del Luna wrapped last year in 2021. It will now go into production in 2021 with production house Studio Dragon, with casting in the first half and then filming, with the majority of special effects to be done via CGI due to likely COVID-19 continued filming logistics. It will be a sageuk set 1000 years ago around the Gorguyeo era but not based on historical characters or recorded events, it will be purely fiction with a fantasy and divination/sorcery theme. The leads will be young diviners who through adversity and conflict grow to trust and fall for each other. The Hong Sisters admitted their last few dramas are all fantasy with Hotel Del Luna and Hwayugi (Chinese Odyssey) and explained that viewers are no longer interested in chaebol/prince charming/candy girl romances and they feel fantasy allows them greater creativity to spin the traditional tried and true epic romance.
They always have interesting ideas, although it doesn’t always pan out nicely in the writing. I’m interested in Korea doing more fantasy in historical era and this sounds promising. Especially since I started Mystic Pop-up Bar and was sad when the historical part at the beginning ended so quickly as it was quite interesting.
Hong sisters have alternate hit and miss. Given that HDL was a hit while Hwayungi (prior to HDL) was a missed, I am quite scared over the fate of this future drama.
The set up is rather promising. Fantasy always allow for bigger development but can also lead to over ambitious and epic failure.
I have never been a fantasy fan, always skip this genre but I love sageuk, esp when the setting is prior to Joseon era.
Given the time to get into production, I sure hope the sisters have plenty of time to fully develop the story and characters and I wish this drama best of luck.
Warm and Cozy (2015) and Hwayugi (2017) were back to back flops while Hotel Del Luna (2019) was a hit. Its more about the concept fantasy is their strongest point.
His dramas are innovative, some are good and others may lose their way, my favorites will forever be Master’s Sun and You’re Beautiful.
This is the drama whose casting was rumored to Song Hye Kyo and Lee Jong Suk?
I bet Yeo Jin Goo will be the male lead for their new drama. As to female lead, I hope it is either Kim So Hyun or Kim Yoo Jung.
Heard that LJS is highly possible for Male Lead in this drama. It would be very good casting.
I miss him, it would be just wonderful to see back on-screen!
If so, it is both exciting and scary. Hong Sisters can miss hard and the curse of post-military dramas can rear its head with LJS as well. I hope it does good.
It’s ironic that my favourite Hong Sister dramas are mostly non fantasy with Gumiho and MS being the exceptions
“…explained that viewers are no longer interested in chaebol/prince charming/candy girl romances…“
It is still possible to create non-fantasy stories in the contemporary world without resorting to the aforementioned tired tropes. Just saying. But I love fantasy and (the Hong Sisters) so I’ll anticipate this. I wish them well with this project.
I hope this is the one with Lee Jong Suk!
I always check out Hong Sisters’ works. Most of the time they are such a joy. Plus I think nothing can be worse than Big. Right? Right.
I agree with Hong sisters. The usual chaebol/charming rich guy/candy girl K-tropes can de done away with. However, one can still have a compelling love story within any genre. Every decade has a hit movie/drama that has a love story element in it like Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter series from 2000s, Titanic from the 90s, Star Wars from the 80s. The HK tv/cinema in 80-90s also did the vampires, ghosts, demons, witches genre etc. I remember Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang in A Chinese Ghost Story.