With KBS medical drama Brain about a week from its premiere, here are the drama’s first two teasers, as well as character stills of the main cast of neurosurgeons featuring Shin Ha-kyun, Jung Jin-young, and Choi Jung-won.

The way this drama handled its casting process has been pretty clunky (not to mention controversial), which had turned me off the show from the start. Having seen the teasers, though, you can see that they’re clearly going for suspenseful and dramatic, in which case it makes sense to opt for a serious film actor like Shin Ha-kyun (The Front Line) over the younger Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo). And Choi Jung-won (Wish Upon a Star) has been a leading actress for longer than new face Yoon Seung-ah (Playful Kiss), even if I think she’s much more appealing in lighter comedies than serious dramas.

All that said, it doesn’t excuse the poor way the drama dumped its first cast, and begs the question: If you say these actors were all wrong for the parts, why cast them in the first place?

Brain is doing something a bit unusual for premiere week, in airing Episodes 1 and 2 on the same night, Monday. That’s because the following day is going to be pre-empted for soccer, so they’re trying to get the jump rather than falling an episode behind schedule. With Mondays and Tuesdays pretty packed with programming, a new show can’t afford to lose interest, so hopefully they’ll hook viewers with the double header. Medical dramas aren’t really my bag, but they do have some dynamic actors at play here with Shin Ha-kyun and Jung Jin-young, both of whom are pretty damn charismatic.

Brain comes from God of Study’s team, PD Yoo Hyun-ki and writer Yoon Kung-ah. It follows Poseidon and airs its first two episodes on November 14.

Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/medical-drama-brains-teasers-and-stills/

(Jung Jin-young, Lee Sang-yoon and Lee Hyun-jin )

A new KBS medical drama titled Brain is prepping for production and lining up its lead actors: Jung Jin-young (Dong Yi, Kingdom of the Wind) has been cast, and it’s looking likely that both Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo, Life Is Beautiful) and Lee Hyun-jin (You’ve Fallen For Me, Boy Meets Boy, pictured above) will join them.

Lee Sang-yoon’s management confirmed a few days ago that he has yet to sign contracts but is looking favorably at the project, while Lee Hyun-jin has reportedly verbally agreed and is in final contract negotiations.

My first thought upon hearing this news was: Yay, Lee Hyun-jin! He was probably my favorite character in You’ve Fallen For Me, playing stagefright-stricken Ki-young with the amazing voice. Talk about stealing your tiny bits of screentime with powerful onscreen presence and a natural charisma. My second thought after that: Boo, so I guess it’s not about zombies, then? Although in that case, the title would’ve probably been Brains. (Or, as I pronounce it, Braaaaaaaiiinnnns.)

As one article put it: Is Brain only casting brains? That’s because two of its leading men — Jung Jin-young and Lee Sang-yoon — hail from Korea’s elite Seoul National University; the 46-year-old Jung earned a degree in Korean language and literature, while 29-year-old Lee is studying physics. (Since we’re comparing notes, 26-year-old Lee Hyun-jin is currently on leave from studying industrial economics at Joongang University.) Schooling is one of those automatic ajumma-heart-warmers, and goes a long way toward Lee Sang-yoon’s image as an eom-chin-ah (the son you want for your own, see: Lee Seung-gi). Now all Brain needs is to cast Kim Tae-hee to round out its Seoul U cast.

Plot-ularly speaking, Lee Sang-yoon will be playing the lead role as an ambitious neurosurgeon who’s obsessed with advancing to the position of university hospital director. However, once he meets his sunbae, the prickly genius doctor played by Jung Jin-young, he turns over a new leaf and becomes a sincere doctor. Lee Hyun-jin will play another doctor and Lee Sang-yoon’s rival.

Brain is a re-teaming of the PD and writer of KBS’s hit drama God of Study, which I suppose is supposed to recommend the drama but makes me a little leery. I found God of Study incredibly cute…about a quarter of the time, and mind-numbingly dull the rest of the time. Based on that series alone, I think pacing and sufficient plot content will be areas to work on, but this IS an entirely different topic/genre, so maybe it’ll work.

Brain plans to follow Poseidon on Mondays and Tuesday nights, which puts its premiere sometime in November.

Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/medical-drama-brain-lines-up-male-leads/