Ji Chang Wook 지창욱 - Upcoming Dramas: "The Queen Woo" (우씨왕후) (TVING) / "Bulk" (벌크) (JTBC) / Upcoming Movie "Revolver" (리볼버)

[Mai Stars]

Celebrating again~Ain't it grand?  10.6 Million IG followers. More people everyday discovering this multi-talented actor.

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[Mai Stars]

Thanks to @cherkellfor the great write-up of some up close and personal observations of the gracious Actor Ji at his "Waiting for You" fan meeting in Yokohama, Japan!  It was enjoyable to hear first-hand what was really happening and how fans felt about the meet.  Even if I can't see him in person, at least some people are able to, and thank god they share!

[cherkell]

 

[siddo]

Such a disappointment. Yet another rom-com! Good lord, Why has his choices of drama become so repetitive? Where is the guy who took on Healer, Empress Ki and WBDS like shows in his prime years? I was hoping he would do some other genre or take on a challenging role. But alas!

[TGMS49]

Choices have to be made according to what scripts are out there. JCW is filming movie Punishment which has been described as "human action" genre. He can't be doing all action; he shouldn't abuse his body just for fans. Any body abuse will be felt in his later life ie back/neck injuries. JCW also has heavy marketing commitments and I trust that he is capable of making decisions regarding his schedule. Healer had an exceptional writer and I hope the writer and JCW hook up again in the future. Meanwhile, as a loyal fan, I will look forward to his projects and cheer him on. Genres I would like to see him in: something military, historical, sports, espionage, or super hero. I would like him to team up with Lee Joon Gi for a REAL action movie or drama before they really get too old.

[siddo]

@TGMS49  seems like you have also misunderstood my comment just like other JCW fans.  Who says I want him to be in action only? Is it because I mentioned Healer, WBDS? I was not talking about the action part but the story/script of those series and his acting in it,  in that sense. There are way too many genres he can choose from and excel too like medical, business, sports, politics, legal, investigation, melo, comedy apart from action and mind you all of these doesn't require much physical/mental stress on body. Its probably that he's either not getting any other genre scripts or not considering taking them.  Hence the disappointment. 

[Mai Stars]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

@siddo and @TGMS49, you both make some valid points.  But it's not about who is the 'most loyal fan.'  Wook has always said in many interviews that he does not want to be pigeonholed into one type of genre, and will 'take chances' whenever he can.  This new project definitely falls into that category.  It's perfectly normal to be disappointed with his choices, but it's the same old song I've heard sung about his script choices ever since I started following him in 2008.  Not all of them were duds, right?

 

What honks me off the most is that everyone has already deemed his new project an ABSOLUTE FAILURE because it is not another Healer/The K2/Suspicious Partner, etc.  It's insane to even make such a determination even before the drama's premiere.  Patience is a virtue; maybe they should wait and see if their fears are validated.  *sheesh*

 

Netizens who are already acting like judge and jury combined need to pull their heads our of their collective hinders and come to the obvious realization that there will never be Season 2 of any of Wook's previous works, no matter how much certain groups yell and scream and moan through social media.

 

It doesn't help any that "The K2" is currently being broadcast on Netflix, bringing Wook a whole new group of fans who were not around when the drama originally aired.  The comparisons with his prior works are not surprising, and it's good to see some positive reactions to the K2 rebroadcast.  But folks, any potential reboots are never gonna happen.  Nothing to see here; move along...

 

Also, even though "Punishment" is being marketed as an action film, there is no indication of how much "action" Wook's character will be subjected to.  It's too early to state "Yay he's back to action again yay!"  Table those thoughts until more of the script is revealed.  Personally, I hope his character is totally a villain/bad guy who dies in the end, if anything to prove that he's not "just a pretty face," as Wook's acting prowess is been vilified lately.  

 

As an aside and no offense, but screw that whole 'age difference' kerfuffle.  Both actors are cast for exactly their characters' real-life ages.  I do realize that the content is a little racy for broadcast television, but there have been statements made by the manhwa author that the drama will be BASED on the manhwa, not directly taken word-for-word and scene-for-scene.  I am a subscriber to the manhwa and am actually quite excited to see how "Backstreet Rookie" will be adapted for a drama script.

 

So let's agree to disagree.  There are always going to be fans who are disappointed with Wook's choices in scripts no matter what he chooses.  Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.  As Oscar Wilde once said, "It's better to be talked about, than not being talked about at all." 

 

BTW, a Soompi thread has been opened for the new show.  Link is here, so bookmark it and join us!  Convenience Store Saet Byeol/Backstreet Rookie

 

 

 

[TGMS49]

@cherkell and @siddo, I respect your opinions. I was a lurker until I saw that the FORUM was an effective tool to communicate my thoughts, feelings and values about a common topic without being judged. I am a "baby boomer" senior who views can be different from someone from the younger generation BUT I like different perspectives. Hence, I view JCW decisions as HIS and I am just a fan. @siddo, I understand your views and respect them, thus, I did not respond. Example, I enjoyed MMS because I related to all the 'old' stuff. I did not view it as a 'failure' or a 'dud'. Everyone has different likes and backgrounds...period. BUT I am shocked how some people wrote such 'nasty' comments about JCW and MMS as if both were utter failures. EVERY artist has projects that are deemed not as successful as others. K2 did not reach high ratings when shown but has endured like Healer to make JCW internationally popular. I am looking forward to "Backstreet Rookie" and "Punishment". I, too, predict that JCW might be the antagonist. They are NOT sharing much info on the movie. 

I think 2020 is going to be a great year for JCW!!

[nrllee]

My concern is the channel?  Why didn’t the major channels or the usual cable ones snap it up?  I have never heard of Lifetime Channel?  I always worry when these dramas are on obscure channels, I hope they don’t script change on them mid way like they did MMS in an attempt to boost ratings. 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

 

[cherkell]

On 2/2/2020 at 2:37 PM, nrllee said:

My concern is the channel?  Why didn’t the major channels or the usual cable ones snap it up?  I have never heard of Lifetime Channel?  I always worry when these dramas are on obscure channels, I hope they don’t script change on them mid way like they did MMS in an attempt to boost ratings. 

 

Lifetime Korea is the Korean version of the Lifetime Channel in the USA, mostly catering to women's programming.  They're making a jump into the entertainment market by distributing Kim Jaejoong's new "Travel Buddies" program and having "Backstreet Rookie" being its first airing drama.  Not Wook's first rodeo, as he starred in "Bachelor's Vegetable Store" as Channel A's first-ever drama program.  Channel A is still not quite the force that the Big 3 are, but it has now come into its own rights as a major player.  MBN was started as one of those 24/7 total-news networks, but it is also now broadcasting dramas with good publicity about them.

 

One good thing about Lifetime taking on Wook's new project is that the channel is broadcast across many smaller channels throughout the country and also streams their shows via YouTube.  Since Korea has yet to come around to reality where viewer numbers are STILL based on the antiquated Nielsen and TnMS numbers - even though the facts are that most viewers are watching through mobile devices now - Lifetime having the ability to broadcast across several channels throughout Korea *and* have English subs available within 12 hours of airing is going to help quite a bit with international viewers who cannot access Viki or other streaming platforms.

 

Granted, I'm also a bit hesitant regarding the decision to use Lifetime Korea for BR's broadcasts.  But the PD-nim is a solid choice, and Studio Dragon (who Wook has worked with before on other dramas) is well-known and well-respected in the industry.  We just have to pray that the writer-nim tasked with the adaptation does not making a clusterf*ck out of the script like what happened with MMS.  I'm going to be bitter about that until the end of my days.

 

Here's a link to Lifetime Korea YouTube Channel:  Lifetime Korea.  Bookmark for future use!