Sometimes I wonder if the upcoming high-profile drama Those Who Wear the Crown, Withstand the Weight: The Heirs (aka Heirs) is an elaborate joke. At some point someone is going to jump out and yell “Sucker!!!” for all those months spent discussing, debating, and dissecting a drama that reads like a cross between Gossip Girl and Boys Before Flowers starring two leads wayyyyyyy past high school in real age and cinematic experience and written by a screenwriter that has nearly ten hit K-dramas under her belt involving main leads age 30 and older (and in the case of her last drama A Gentleman’s Dignity, a whole lot older than 30 to say the least). It’s like Stephen King suddenly announcing he was creating a new MTV drama modeled after Glee. The collective “Huh” has been huge with this drama. With Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye onboard, the supporting cast is getting tons of attention since Jung Yong Hwa was offered the second male lead role and turned it down, and because this drama is set in an exclusive richest of the rich kids high school so the sprawling cast of high school rich kids is going to be rather important. Choi Jin Hyuk signed on to play Lee Min Ho’s older brother, wisely leaving those high school shenanigans for others to carry, and Kim Woo Bin and Krystal of girl group f(x) are onboard as well. This week there are a few more casting news to report, which further confirms this drama can’t be an elaborate joke I might wake up from. Hot from the teen music drama Monstar comes Kang Ha Neul, who plays the rich and reserved Sun Woo in that show, as well as idol group ZE:A member Park Hyung Sik, who was last seen in the twisty cable drama Nine: Nine Time Travels. He’ll also be playing a younger version of So Ji Sub in The Master’s Sun, so this boy is quite busy in this year alone with the acting. I think both adds fit the good looking haughty young man quota, but its the just released news that rising actress Kim Ji Won is signing on for Heirs that gets me truly excited. I really really like her (she’s adorable and looks like a young Kim Tae Hee doppleganger), and this would reunite her with Krystal when they both starred in High Kick 3: Counterattack of the Short Legs. This would also reunite her with Kang Haneul, both of them were part of the sprawling mostly idol cast of To The Beautiful You, the K-drama remake of HanaKimi. I think we’re maybe two young actors more from completing the cast which means timing is just about right. This drama is slated to air on SBS following The Master’s Sun, and to be followed by the Kim Soo Hyun alien drama Man from Another Star. Continue reading →