'Goblin' writer Kim Eun-sook's next drama, 'Mr. Sunshine,' has found its lead actor in Lee Byung-hun. This will be the actor's first small screen role in eight years.
Website Soompi notes that on June 24, Lee Byung-hun's casting in 'Mr. Sunshine' was confirmed by a representative from the drama's production company. It was also confirmed that the drama will be set in the early 1900's, about soldiers who were never credited in Korea's history.
"There are a lot of things to prepare for this drama, so we wanted to get the casting done right away. Our writer, Kim Eun-sook, told us that she wanted the male lead to be someone who is experienced in acting and is good at speaking English, so Lee Byung-hun was a perfect fit. We are very excited to work with him," the production company said.
The 'Descendants of the Sun' writer had indeed teased earlier, "I do have someone in mind. Since the character's narrative is strong and has a large breadth of emotions, the role needs to be played by someone who is very good at acting."
It was revealed earlier that the story will be set before the Japanese occupation of Korea. It will be about a Korean man, a soldier in the United States Army, who returns to Joseon and falls in love with an aristocratic woman.
Kim Eun-sook had said, "This is a topic I've been wanting to [write a drama about] for a while now. I created a project proposal for this drama a while back: a drama about not independence fighters but actual soldiers from that era. Although it's not recorded anywhere in history, it's something that we all need to know about," as noted by Soompi.
Having been a part of various major Hollywood productions like 'Terminator Genisys' and 'The Magnificent Seven' remake, the casting of Lee Byung-hun seems like a no-brainer. In 'terminator Genisys,' Byung-hun took on the iconic character of the T-100 Terminator, originally portrayed by actor Robert Patrick in 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day.' Even though the movie did not do as well as expected, Byung-hun's performance was liked by fans.
Soompi also notes that apart from Lee Byung-hun, no other casting for 'Mr. Sunshine' has been done. The broadcast station has not been determined either. But the drama itself is confirmed to premiere in the latter half of this year.
