Movie version of TV series "IRIS" to be released next week

Poster of TV series "IRIS" [Taewon Entertainment]

The movie version of Korean blockbuster TV series "IRIS" will be released next week.

A press release from the show's producer Taewon Entertainment announced Friday that "IRIS: THE MOVIE" will be available for download through contents distribution company cine21i on November 22.

"IRIS: THE MOVIE," reconstituted from the 20-part drama, will feature the truth about the death of character Hyun-jun (played by actor Lee Byung-hun) as well as new scenes.

Drama "IRIS," which aired in Korea on major broadcasting company KBS from October 2009 to December 2009, starred several of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Kim Tae-hee, Jung Joon-ho, Kim So-yeon and Big Bang member T.O.P.

The action-packed espionage series dominated the primetime lineup during its run, scoring viewership ratings of nearly 40 percent.

The movie will be available through IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), cable networks including PPV and 100 online websites next week.

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Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
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“Super Junior” Sungmin cast in new drama “PRESIDENT”

Actor Park Sung-min [Feel-Lime EG Entertainment]

Sungmin from popular 13-member boy band “Super Junior” has been cast in a new KBS drama which will premiere next month.

Feel-Lime EG Entertainment, producer of the drama, announced through a press release Monday that the singer will play the son of a president in an upcoming series titled "PRESIDENT” starring veteran actor Choi Su-jong.

Sungmin will star as a graduate student who wishes to follows his father’s footsteps to become a politician. In the story, however, his attempts to help with this father’s election campaign only gets him into trouble for using means that are less than justifiable.

“It’s an amazing coincidence that name of the president’s son in the drama is Sung-min too, and we believe he is made for the role,” officials with the show's producer were quoted as saying. “He a perfectly prepared actor, gifted not only in singing and dancing but also in acting.”

"PRESIDENT" will not be Sungmin's first attempt at acting -- he played the young-version of one of the main characters in MBC drama “Sea of Sisters” in 2005. The upcoming drama will be the first role he takes on as a grown-up.

“It’s been a while since I have acted so I can’t wait,” Sungmin said in the press release. “It’s different from the first time I acted. Stay tuned because I’d like to show how much I’ve changed.”

“PRESIDENT,” about civil rights lawyer Jang Il-joon's (Choi) journey to presidency, caught additional attention for the casting of actress Ha Hee-ra, the real wife of actor Choi, as the first lady.

The drama will air Wednesdays and Thursdays starting December 8 after “Fugitive: Plan B” starring Rain and Lee Na-young ends its run.

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[ Korean Drama 2009 ] Heading to the Ground

Genre: Romance, Sport
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2009-Sep-09 to 2009-Nov-04
Air time: Wednesday & Thursday 21:55

Cast:
U-Know Yunho as Bong-gun Cha
Ko Ara as Hae-bin Kang
Lee Sang-Yun as Seung-woo Jang
Lee Yun-Ji as Yeon-lee Oh

Synopsis:
Heading to the Ground is a story about a talented but misfortunate soccer player.

Bong-gun, a soccer player with great potential, wants to become a member of the national soccer team. As he works towards his goal, he meets Hae-bin, an attractive and independent rookie sports agent who ends up bickering with him all the time. With Seung-woo, an elite attorney, as his arch-enemy, Bong-gun’s journey towards love and success is rough. To make matters more complicated, it turns out that Yeon-lee, Bong-gun’s childhood friend and the soccer team nutritionist, has a secret crush on him.

[source: http://content.mbc.co.kr ]

Gallery:

SHINee Minho to make acting debut through KBS drama

Minho from boy band SHINee [Zoom Agency]

Minho, a member of a popular boy band SHINee, will make his acting debut through

"KBS Drama Special," a 24-part single-episode omnibus series showing on the major public network.

According to a press release distributed by PR agency Zoom on Tuesday, Minho will appear as Oh Je-ro, a man in his twenties who is gifted in music, in the show's final episode titled "Pianist" set to go on air November 20.

In the story, Je-ro is a young man who despite his musical talent, was unable to hone his skill due to financial reasons and has been forced to work in a piano factory in place of his sick father for years.

Then one day, Je-ro falls in love with music teacher Yoon In-sa, to be played by actress Han Ji-hye.
,
“It’s my first time acting so I’m very excited, happy and hopeful,” Minho was quoted as saying while filming the drama for the first time yesterday.

Minho, 19, debuted as a member of five-member boy band SHINee in 2008. He and his fellow bandmates Key, Jonghyun, Taemin and Onew have produced many hits songs since then including “Replay,” “Ring Ding Dong” and “LUCIFER.”

Han, a well-known actress in Korea, has appeared in several movies and dramas since debuting in 2001 as a supermodel.

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U-Know Yunho cast in upcoming action drama

Singer and actor U-Know Yunho [SM Entertainment]

Korean singer and actor Jung Yunho, whose singing name is U-Know Yunho, will be making a comeback to the small screen, this time with a role in an upcoming action series.

According to the show's producer on Tuesday, Yunho will be playing the role of Oh Yoon-jae, a special forces soldier for the National Maritime Police Academy in a new series tentatively titled "Poseidon."

He will be joining the actors Kim Kang-woo who will take on the role of Yunho's older brother and graduate of the police academy, actress Kim Ok-vin who is one of the female special forces soldier and boy band Shinhwa member Eric who will play Kim Sun-woo.

"Poseidon," Korea's first TV series about the daily struggles coast guards face, will be co-produced by Oh Sang-won and director Yoo Cheol-yong, whose works include dramas "All In" and "Heat," and is written by scenarist Cho Kyu-won of blockbuster hit series "IRIS".

The cast will soon start receiving special forces and rescue training.

Making his debut through the boy band TVXQ in 2004, U-Know Yunho branched out into acting with his role in MBC's "No Limit," playing a soccer player named Cha Bong-goon.

He is currently starring as one of the male leads for musical production "Goong" which opened in early September.

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2PM Taecyeon cast in new KBS musical drama

2PM member Taecyeon [JYP Entertainment]

K-pop idol Taecyeon will be showing off his acting skills once again, this time as one of the male leads in KBS' musical TV series "Dream High," a much-anticipated collaboration between Korea's top entertainment firms JYP Entertainment (JYPE) and KEYEAST.

JYPE announced in a press release Tuesday that Taecyeon has been cast as Jin-kook in the upcoming show, a skilled dancer that has been kicked out of a school for performing arts but transferred back by request from the chairman of the school.

"I am really excited and have high expectations for this new production. I have greater anticipation for this drama since it deals with music and I get to work with a lot of great people," Taecyeon was quoted as saying.

Just yesterday, the show's promoter revealed that Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun has been cast as another one of the male leads, taking on the role of Song Sam-dong. Other cast members have not been confirmed yet.

"Dream High," also produced jointly with cable unit CJ Media, is about the dreams of students who attend a performing arts school with the storyline set to be relayed through song and dance.

Bae Yong-joon, KEYEAST's major shareholder, and Park Jin-young, founder and CEO of JYPE, will help in the production and musical arrangements for the show.

The musical drama, a 16-episode mini-series, is set to show on Mondays and Tuesday starting January 3 next year.

Making his debut in the six-member boy band 2PM, Taecyeon made his acting debut with a role in hit KBS2 TV series "Sister of Cinderella" alongside Moon Geun-young in June this year.

He is currently promoting the title track "I'll Be Back" from their latest mini-album "Still 2:00PM" with his fellow bandmates.

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