Okay, this is messed up. Upcoming KBS medical drama Brain ditched its original cast (Lee Sang-yoon and Yoon Seung-ah) for a chance to score big fish Song Seung-heon as the leading man… and in the end Song turned the project down and walked away, leaving the production with NO cast. Pfft. I hate to say I told you so (Okay, I LOVE to say I told you so), but karma’s a bitch.
So basically, after all that hullabaloo, Brain is back to square one with no cast and it begins shooting at the end of the month. Wait, the end of THIS month? As in, a week away? See, this is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket. Or, you toss out your perfectly good eggs for a shiny new egg that lands in your face. Omelette, anyone?
The producers reportedly decided that the original cast skewed too young, and then promptly turned all their energies to wooing Song Seung-heon, with enough faith to nix their original stars. Yoon Seung-ah even cut her hair for the role after being cast, only to be edged out by the possibility that Song would star. I’m sure she’ll bounce right back and that she looks great with any hair, but I’d be pissed if I cut my locks for a role and then got ousted.
So, no Brain for Song Seung-heon, and no cast for Brain. There’s a poem in there somewhere. Or maybe just poetic justice.
Brain airs on KBS this November… that is, if it can get a cast together and keep it.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/no-brain-for-song-seung-heon/
The entire announced cast of medical drama Brain is being replaced…and potentially filling the new hero’s shoes is Song Seung-heon.
The official story from Brain’s chief producer is that the drama feels too much like a “youth drama” with formerly cast Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo) and Yoon Seung-ah (Playful Kiss). You know, the stripling young lad a month shy of 30, and the barely-pubescent 28-year-old woman. Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical. (By which I mean: Lee and Yoon are in no way old, but youth drama? Pfffft. Like you could see them playing the kids of You’re Beautiful and You’ve Fallen For Me rather than, say, the teachers.)
In any case, the CP said that they felt it was skewing too “youth” and are reworking things now. You think you could’ve done that before actually casting your show? All is backwards in K-dramaland; the cast had even recently held a script reading. Also out are supporting leads like Lee Hyun-jin (You’ve Fallen For Me) and Kim Soo-hyun (Sophie from Runaway Plan B).
Song Seung-heon is in negotiations to take over the lead role as ambitious brain surgeon, which…pfffft, just makes me giggle. I like Song Seung-heon, particularly after changing up his image in My Princess, and especially after hearing that he’s learned to have some fun and not always try to look cool all the time. But brain surgeon? With Song, nekkid abs and glowering are part of the deal, and sometimes the whole of it.
On the other side of the story, you have the replaced actors, whose reactions are: “This is shocking.” Lee Sang-yoon and Yoon Seung-ah’s agencies are already in drama promotion mode, having thought the deal finalized with the production company and the broadcast station.
KBS’s newly staffed Brain will follow Poseidon and air in November.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/song-seung-heon-in-for-a-brain-replacement/
Yoon Seung-ah has graduated to leading lady status with her next role, as she’s just been cast in KBS’s medical drama Brain, which earlier cast Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo) as its ambitious lead.
True to its title, the drama’s all about brains and the people who treat them. (Alas, not the zombies who eat them.) The cast of neurosurgeons includes Lee Sang-yoon, his sunbae Jung Jin-young (Dong Yi), his rival Lee Hyun-jin (You’ve Fallen For Me), and now love interest Yoon Seung-ah.
Yoon’s character, Yoon Ji-hye, is described as a dedicated and committed professional who’s hard-core about her studies and her work. Usually that means the character’s got some flaws on the personality front (see: harsh Dr. Poopypants in Scent of a Woman, before he learns how to express his inner emotions without lashing out), but Ji-hye is warm and fair with her patients.
Yoon is still relatively new to the industry (at almost-28, she got a bit of a late start) and has had just a couple of supporting drama roles under her belt — she was Ha-ni’s best friend in Playful Kiss and most recently in the family sitcom All My Love — but I like her screen presence and hope this drama suits her.
She said, “Following All My Love, I’m happy to be cast in my first drama leading role. This will give me the opportunity to show a more serious image than in a sitcom. I’ll be heading into shoots soon so I’m busily preparing now, and I’ll work hard to repay all the love I’ve been given.”
Brain follows Poseidon, airing on Mondays and Tuesdays starting in November.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/yoon-seung-ah-joins-kbss-brain/
(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/
