Queen of Tears star Kim Soo-hyun offered Knock Off role; new season for hit show Signal – Korean drama casting latest
- Kim Soo-hyun, on screens in Queen of Tears, has been offered the lead role in Disney+ comedy Knock Off, while Kang Tae-oh is in talks to lead a romantic comedy
- A raft of sequels have also been announced, including one for 2016 hit cable drama Signal, which followed three detectives living in two different time periods
One of the most popular Korean dramas of all time is finally returning for a second season, while a rising actor eyes his first role after being discharged from the military, and the star of a hit show currently airing considers a quick return to the screen.
Read our latest round-up of Korean casting news for more details.
1. Knock Off
2. Potato Research Institute
News of Kang’s potential casting dropped earlier this week, a day before he was discharged from his obligatory military service in South Korea, having enlisted in November 2022.
Kang is considering the part of So Baek-ho, who becomes the new director of a potato research institute in the countryside.
Lee is being offered the role of Kim Mi-kyung, a long-term employee of the institute who has been working there for 12 years.
The series will be written and directed by Kim Ho-soo and Kang Il-soo respectively; the duo were behind the series Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung with Shin Sae-kyung and Cha Eun-woo.
Potato Research Institute is being eyed for a late 2024 or early 2025 release.
3. The Number You Have Dialed
Based on a web novel of the same name, the drama will follow the story of a picture-perfect couple thrown into chaos when the husband receives a threatening call telling him that his wife has been kidnapped.
Yoo has been offered the part of Baek Sa-eon, a former television anchor who is now the youngest spokesperson in the Blue House (the Korean presidential office) and a promising politician.
Chae is considering playing Hong Hee-joo, Sa-eon’s wife, a sign interpreter who suffers from aphasia owing to a traumatic incident in her childhood.
The Number You Have Dialed will be aired on MBC.
4. Signal 2/Flex X Cop 2/A Shop for Killers 2
A raft of sequel series have been announced in the past week. The biggest news was the revelation that star writer Kim Eun-hee is currently scripting a second season of the acclaimed fantasy investigation series Signal.
The show was one of the original Korean cable hits back in 2016 and fans have long clamoured for a second season, particularly given that the show opens the door for one in its final episode.
Starring Kim Hye-soo, Lee Je-hoon and Cho Jin-woong, the show follows three detectives investigating violent crimes but living in two different time periods. A magical walkie-talkie allows them to cross that temporal divide as they help each other to solve the crimes in their respective eras.
Stars Ahn Bo-hyun, who plays a corporate heir who winds up becoming a police officer, and Park Ji-hyun, who plays the long-suffering detective he is partnered with, are currently negotiating their returns to the show. A script for a second season is under way and scheduling is being discussed.