Lee Min Ho ♥ 이민호 ♥ ィミンホ ♥ 李敏鎬 Upcoming Drama 2024: Ask the Stars; Pachinko Season 2; Upcoming movie 2025: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

[scrawford]

1 minute ago, pixie0622 said:

Both of these series are dark, foreboding and psychological, which I love.  Maybe Pachinko will be more similar to The Terror both in terms of the intermingling of languages and the cinematography/ production design.  The Terror was shot so well that you could almost feel and taste the atmosphere.  The writing was also tight and flawless. 
 

It’s only been a day since the announcement and here we are chingus, already putting together the whole series which may or may not premiere next year. Excited much? 

 

 

My husband and i watched the terror and it is dark indeed. And I wonder the same if they are going down the route of Darker Historical vibe. Either way I am excited. 

 

If you like Dark adn well written Story, check out Fargo on FX

[CallieP]

4 hours ago, 1ouise said:

It will be covering the third part of the novel because the characters announced so far include Solomon, Naomi (not in the book), adult Mosazu, and Etsuko, who appear in part 3.  In fact, from the announcement, so far they haven't listed characters from parts 1 and 2.   

It does seem like it.  Many of the characters are from the third book.  Interesting. 

[pixie0622]

54 minutes ago, CallieP said:

 

Can you name some American series where you rooted for the male lead or female lead?

Dexter.  Arrow.  Game of Thrones (take your pick).  Rick in Walking Dead....before he self-destructed. 

[Nikaa]

In Korea, actors and idols carry a certain “image” based on their appearance and personality. LMH does have the flower boy image, which is great. His flower boy image is not only because of BOF, but also because of his face and how his own personality. Him playing Hansu has nothing do with him leaving his “ flower boy image“. He is an actor and explores various roles and genres. That’s it! LMH is LMH and I think he does carry the flower boy image as LMH not as GJP. based on the image that actors have, they choose a certain style and stylist help them with that. LMH, when he isn’t acting, is always boyish, cute, and lovely. Look at Lazada ad and choice of colors and style of clothing  

I don’t know why everyone has problem with LMH’s flower boy image  Idols and actors try so hard to gain a certain image through variety shows. LMH doesn’t even need those shows. LMH’s image is actually great!! 

I’m happy that LMH is taking such a big challenge and different role, but it has nothing to do with his own image. 

edit: even Non-celebs in SK try to have a certain image which is mostly youthful and innocent looking. In SK, image and face (handsomeness, prettiness) is everything.  

[nina_mitrokhina 5misnina]

 

[Heretorant]

37 minutes ago, scrawford said:

Quote

 

I feel that in many American series, it is the story that succeeds more than the characters themselves, few like Breaking Bad, you see the character stand out.  Of all the many American series that I have watched, none stood out that I cared about or rooted for.  Can you name some American series where you rooted for the male lead or female lead?

Yes, most american series really focus on the story and  Breaking bad is definitely one of the few drama that's heavily invested in the character development

Reiterating what was already said. American shows care more about the overall quality of story. We have to understand this show will be about all characters so there shouldn’t be any expectations that it has been changed to make Hansu the main focus. Also, if you’re reading the book and not satisfied about how much Hansu shows up versus other characters like Sunja, just remember, film adaptations are very different from the book. It depends on how they choose to adapt it. They can shed light and balance all characters or tell it from Sunja’s point of view. Regardless, keep in mind that Sunja is the main character and the story will be hers. That’s ok. I honestly care more that lmh’s taking on a project that’s critically acclaimed and will educate and reveal the sensitive history of Korean and Japanese. If done correctly, believe me, this show will memorable and epic. 
 

30 minutes ago, pixie0622 said:

Both of these series are dark, foreboding and psychological, which I love.  Maybe Pachinko will be more similar to The Terror both in terms of the intermingling of languages and the cinematography/ production design.  The Terror was shot so well that you could almost feel and taste the atmosphere.  The writing was also tight and flawless. 
 

It’s only been a day since the announcement and here we are chingus, already putting together the whole series which may or may not premiere next year. Excited much? 

That’s exactly how I envision it will be. Definitely the darker history vibe like @scrawford said and not pretty and sprinkled with a coat of sugar like the usual Korean dramas we are used to. 
 

I read a commenter saying such a story can never be adapted and capture half of its true essence but I am eager and excited to see how the production will make it come to life. Hey, with the right production and the right actors, I think it’s very possible to make Pachinko nothing short of epic! 

14 minutes ago, pixie0622 said:

Dexter.  Arrow.  Game of Thrones (take your pick).  Rick in Walking Dead....before he self-destructed. 

Game of Thrones is a good example. It’s full of many characters and not one outshines the rest. Together, they all make the story great! Well... at least until the end happened, which ruined the entire show for me 

 

Imagine Pachinko like a show we are watching because we are interested in the story and not just the actor and we will see it in a different light. 

[CallieP]

8 minutes ago, pixie0622 said:

Dexter.  Arrow.  Game of Thrones (take your pick).  Rick in Walking Dead....before he self-destructed. 

 

Dexter, yes somewhat. He is an interesting character. It was interesting to see how he got out of a situation.  Game of Thrones, I did not find a lead that stood out.  I like the story as a whole and it was different. Maybe the dwarf was my favorite, Peter Dinkler.  I hated Rick and I only watched a few episodes. I don't like zombies but I did like Steven Yoon a little but not enough to want to watch it.

 

 

30 minutes ago, scrawford said:

Im curious as to how they will adapt this novel. I started reading and right now Hansu is nowhere to be seen, because Sunja is married to Isak. But again, im not even 1/3 of the book. My guess is, Hansu will be prominent in the beginning, and then it will be about Isak and Sunja's life and then we are moving on to Mosuza and Solomon lives. Hansu might show up here and there after his few prominant episode. So the leads will have 2-3 episode where they are prominent. And the story will be from Sunja POV. I would hate if they change the story from Female to male centric, in our social climate right now especially us in the US would know, how changing female to male centric would not be good PR. 

 

OR this might be plan for 2-3 seasons. We don't know, we are still at the very beginning.

 

I know that the news about LMH is in the craze right now, and i think it's because he has the most following out of all the actors. And to me no matter how many episode he will be in, he would still considered as the lead. Guys, let's be ok IF, turn out that LMH won't be on every episode. Remember this is a US drama, this is still big for LMH and he is playing a grey/controversial character. Remember how we wish that He could at least do a Cameo? but we got a co leading role in a big Production.

 

Or, maybe he will be in every episode :).

 

All i really care about is, when i see KO hansu, i see ko hansu and not LMH. I want however many episode we see Ko Hansu will be a memorable ones. I'm still in the beginning of the book and my impression of Ko Hansu is not good. The way he seduced young sanju is a bit uncomfortable for me. very sleezy is the word i have .And, unlike other, i don't see LMH playing this role, Which mean this is really good, because he is trying something very different. I like it and soo excited for him.

Yes, most american series really focus on the story and  Breaking bad is definitely one of the few drama that's heavily invested in the character development

I heard that He did beat a women, and from listening to the writer's point of View, she said it was hard writing that part of the story, but it was what needed to happen because it was another story to show another layer of Hansu since he is tied to the Yakuza

 

@scrawford you echoed everything I was feeling.  Agree with what you wrote. He may be prominent in 3 or so episodes and just popping in and out the rest of the series. That was my feeling by just reading Wikipedia.  I have not read the book.

Also my impression of Koh Hansu is not good.  Many want him to play villainous so this is a good one.  In GB, he is a gangster, violent and brutal but he is still in his heart a decent person who just wants a better life for his adopted family.  He is fiercely loyal.

 

It will be a challenging role for LMH and I have a feeling many of his young fans who liked him in King and Heirs or Faith might not appreciate this as much.  If he nails it, he may have a more mature audience but not the younger ones who look for a romantic hero like Choi Young.  Hope this solidifies him as an actor that can win film awards.  Fingers crossed. Fighting LMH!

[leeminhosny]

I think you focus so much book, this will be different , because you said Hansu hasn't so many part, But so Why they announce firstly LMH's name and Why they pick rookie a actress main character? I think they should pick powerful name And they said in artcle "story starts a love story" yesterday . I think they changed so much book. And So I don't like adaptations, because everytime people keep to talking about books "Book is .... but drama is ..." etc. If people like books so they should read book, but drama/movies are different mostly. 

[Narine Joa]

46 minutes ago, scrawford said:

Im curious as to how they will adapt this novel. I started reading and right now Hansu is nowhere to be seen, because Sunja is married to Isak. But again, im not even 1/3 of the book. My guess is, Hansu will be prominent in the beginning, and then it will be about Isak and Sunja's life and then we are moving on to Mosuza and Solomon lives. Hansu might show up here and there after his few prominant episode. So the leads will have 2-3 episode where they are prominent. And the story will be from Sunja POV. I would hate if they change the story from Female to male centric, in our social climate right now especially us in the US would know, how changing female to male centric would not be good PR. 

 

OR this might be plan for 2-3 seasons. We don't know, we are still at the very beginning.

 

I know that the news about LMH is in the craze right now, and i think it's because he has the most following out of all the actors. And to me no matter how many episode he will be in, he would still considered as the lead. Guys, let's be ok IF, turn out that LMH won't be on every episode. Remember this is a US drama, this is still big for LMH and he is playing a grey/controversial character. Remember how we wish that He could at least do a Cameo? but we got a co leading role in a big Production.

 

Or, maybe he will be in every episode :).

 

All i really care about is, when i see KO hansu, i see ko hansu and not LMH. I want however many episode we see Ko Hansu will be a memorable ones. I'm still in the beginning of the book and my impression of Ko Hansu is not good. The way he seduced young sanju is a bit uncomfortable for me. very sleezy is the word i have .And, unlike other, i don't see LMH playing this role, Which mean this is really good, because he is trying something very different. I like it and soo excited for him.

Yes, most american series really focus on the story and  Breaking bad is definitely one of the few drama that's heavily invested in the character development

I heard that He did beat a women, and from listening to the writer's point of View, she said it was hard writing that part of the story, but it was what needed to happen because it was another story to show another layer of Hansu since he is tied to the Yakuza

 

This won't be a literal translation into motion pictures but rather an adaption of the novel which is why we have Hansu, Sanju, Solomon and Naomi plus Mosazu casted as one of the big arcs. 

 

They will most likely focus on Hansu and Sanju's arc while Isak Baek and Noa will most likely take a more supporting role in the adaption. I think in the first season or first half of the series will focus on Hansu and Sanju and second season or second half on Solomon and Naomi in Canada together with Mosazu.

 

There will be more focus on Hansu and Sanju instead of Isak Baek and honestly he doesn't make for good Tv since his a priest and everything and a good guy where as Hansu is good Tv because his a conflicted character who probably has blood on his hands and is involved with all sorts of crime and then he falls in love. 

 

You shouldn't expect big arcs for Isak or Noa they will mostly take supporting role in this adaption and they were not amongst the 6 casting announcement. If I have to make a qualified guess I would say it would be 2 halves of Hansu and Sanju in Korea and Solomon and Naomi in Canada with Mosazu being in both worlds as supporting character also despite being one of the major.

 

You can't either mix Hansu and Sanju era with Solomon era it has to be two different eras which is why they are going with two different directors. I heard one will direct first 4 episodes and then another will director the second 4 episodes  

 

[leeminhosny]

Yes this is American drama but, Are all of them cast American? and just is LMH Korean? No, Writer, PD, Korean and other cast Asian so  this also isn't common American drama  So this isn't first? I think this drama isn't American/Korean , it is crossbreed 

[Nikaa]

9 minutes ago, leeminhosny said:

I think you focus so much book, this will be different , because you said Hansu hasn't so many part, But so Why they announce firstly LMH's name and Why they pick rookie a actress main character? I think they should pick powerful name And they said in artcle "story starts a love story" yesterday . I think they changed so much book. And So I don't like adaptations, because everytime people keep to talking about books "Book is .... but drama is ..." etc. If people like books so they should read book, but drama/movies are different mostly. 

I totally agree with your points!!
 

agree, book is book. Drama is drama. Drama Adaptions based on books are different. LMH was the very first actor who was rumored to be in this project, LMH’s name was in all headlines and his role was talked about. LMH’s role is the main character. I don’t know even know who that actress is. LMH will be filming for about 7 months, I’m sure his role Is prominent . LMH doesn’t choose projects in which he won’t have the main character. 

[Narine Joa]

30 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

Reiterating what was already said. American shows care more about the overall quality of story. We have to understand this show will be about all characters so there shouldn’t be any expectations that it has been changed to make Hansu the main focus. Also, if you’re reading the book and not satisfied about how much Hansu shows up versus other characters like Sunja, just remember, film adaptations are very different from the book. It depends on how they choose to adapt it. They can shed light and balance all characters or tell it from Sunja’s point of view. Regardless, keep in mind that Sunja is the main character and the story will be hers. That’s ok. I honestly care more that lmh’s taking on a project that’s critically acclaimed and will educate and reveal the sensitive history of Korean and Japanese. If done correctly, believe me, this show will memorable and epic. 
 

That’s exactly how I envision it will be. Definitely the darker history vibe like @scrawford said and not pretty and sprinkled with a coat of sugar like the usual Korean dramas we are used to. 
 

I read a commenter saying such a story can never be adapted and capture half of its true essence but I am eager and excited to see how the production will make it come to life. Hey, with the right production and the right actors, I think it’s very possible to make Pachinko nothing short of epic! 

Game of Thrones is a good example. It’s full of many characters and not one outshines the rest. Together, they all make the story great! Well... at least until the end happened, which ruined the entire show for me 

 

Imagine Pachinko like a show we are watching because we are interested in the story and not just the actor and we will see it in a different light. 

 

In order to care about the story you will by default end up with a dominating character and lead regardless of how much you focus on the story? Let me give you some good examples ''Raised by the wolves'',  ''Games of Thrones'', ''Witcher'' ''The 100'' etc etc. 

 

There has to be a protagonist by default and I can give you some other examples ''You'' ''13 reasons why'' etc etc. I named all the successful recent dramas here as an example. You can't create a tale without a protagonist so yes there is a protagonist in every story and there is gonna be a stand out leads in every single story. 

 

This is the ABC of story writing or tales like we use to do before written history it always had a protagonist. A movie that really tries hard to be without a protagonist is ''The departed'' but even that movie has 2 clear cut protagonists.

 

By the way Game of thrones had two clear cut protagonists in the mother of dragons and John Snow the rest were just supporting characters with bigger arcs

[CallieP]

24 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

Reiterating what was already said. American shows care more about the overall quality of story. We have to understand this show will be about all characters so there shouldn’t be any expectations that it has been changed to make Hansu the main focus. Also, if you’re reading the book and not satisfied about how much Hansu shows up versus other characters like Sunja, just remember, film adaptations are very different from the book. It depends on how they choose to adapt it. They can shed light and balance all characters or tell it from Sunja’s point of view. Regardless, keep in mind that Sunja is the main character and the story will be hers. That’s ok. I honestly care more that lmh’s taking on a project that’s critically acclaimed and will educate and reveal the sensitive history of Korean and Japanese. If done correctly, believe me, this show will memorable and epic. 
 

That’s exactly how I envision it will be. Definitely the darker history vibe like @scrawford said and not pretty and sprinkled with a coat of sugar like the usual Korean dramas we are used to. 
 

I read a commenter saying such a story can never be adapted and capture half of its true essence but I am eager and excited to see how the production will make it come to life. Hey, with the right production and the right actors, I think it’s very possible to make Pachinko nothing short of epic! 

Game of Thrones is a good example. It’s full of many characters and not one outshines the rest. Together, they all make the story great! Well... at least until the end happened, which ruined the entire show for me 

 

Imagine Pachinko like a show we are watching because we are interested in the story and not just the actor and we will see it in a different light. 

 

You said it,  Pachinko will be more of the story than the actors themselves so LMH may not be able to shine or win an Emmy or Golden Globe award was what I was thinking.  The drama might win awards or the directors but not the actors as it is not about them but the story. Parasite is the same, the director and the movie won but none of the actors did if I am not mistaken.

[leeminhosny]

Happy 3800 Pages and LMH thread is currently most replied thread on Soompi 

 

 

[samantha12]

I wonder if there would be great alternations on the plot as well. Up until now we only know who would play the young version of Sunja, and have no news regarding the older one. In the book, Noa and the priest constituted a significant part of the book too, but now we don’t even know if they are main cast or not. 
 

My guess on this is that Sunja might die or disappear in the series instead of being the POV throughout the book, and the main focus of this series is on her son and grandchild. I read somewhere that LMH actually is not the main lead for this series too (though I don’t know if the article is telling the truth or not). The series only has 8 episodes and if we base on the book, LMH may contribute mostly in two or three episodes. I think it’s not bad to play a supporting role in this series. Being in a supporting role who has conflicted character is kind of a breakthrough too. 
 

In the book there were intense sex scenes here and there. In gangnam, LMH did not take part in the intense sex scenes too, and I do wonder if this time would be of any difference (I think we may still stick to the fade to the dark tactic though). 

[Narine Joa]

7 minutes ago, CallieP said:

 

You said it,  Pachinko will be more of the story than the actors themselves so LMH may not be able to shine or win an Emmy or Golden Globe award was what I was thinking.  The drama might win awards or the directors but not the actors as it is not about them but the story. Parasite is the same, the director and the movie won but none of the actors did if I am not mistaken.

 

There is no such thing as more about the story then the actors? You still need actors to execute any story. Hanju and Sanju will have a big arc. Yes even the movies that try extremely hard have clear cut protagonists. The arc that Hanju has will be enough for him to get nod as the leading male. The arc will be large enough and plenty with 70mins per epidose

 

 

[CallieP]

23 minutes ago, Narine Joa said:

 

This won't be a literal translation into motion pictures but rather an adaption of the novel which is why we have Hansu, Sanju, Solomon and Naomi plus Mosazu casted as one of the big arcs. 

 

They will most likely focus on Hansu and Sanju's arc while Isak Baek and Noa will most likely take a more supporting role in the adaption. I think in the first season or first half of the series will focus on Hansu and Sanju and second season or second half on Solomon and Naomi in Canada together with Mosazu.

 

There will be more focus on Hansu and Sanju instead of Isak Baek and honestly he doesn't make for good Tv since his a priest and everything and a good guy where as Hansu is good Tv because his a conflicted character who probably has blood on his hands and is involved with all sorts of crime and then he falls in love. 

 

You shouldn't expect big arcs for Isak or Noa they will mostly take supporting role in this adaption and they were not amongst the 6 casting announcement. If I have to make a qualified guess I would say it would be 2 halves of Hansu and Sanju in Korea and Solomon and Naomi in Canada with Mosazu being in both worlds as supporting character also despite being one of the major.

 

You can't either mix Hansu and Sanju era with Solomon era it has to be two different eras which is why they are going with two different directors. I heard one will direct first 4 episodes and then another will director the second 4 episodes  

 

You may be absolutely correct!  Perhaps since there are two directors, they start at the same time,  1st four episodes in Korea and Japan.  The other 4 filming in Vancouver.  Both film during the same period.  That should shorten the filming time to just 4 episodes per arc and could be completed in record time.

[Narine Joa]

25 minutes ago, CallieP said:

You may be absolutely correct!  Perhaps since there are two directors, they start at the same time,  1st four episodes in Korea and Japan.  The other 4 filming in Vancouver.  Both film during the same period.  That should shorten the filming time to just 4 episodes per arc and could be completed in record time.

 

Exactly. If one episode is 70mins that is plenty time for 4 episodes to execute the Hansu-Sanju arc which will take the center stage. Noa and Isak Beak are not even amongst the announced characters casted and that clearly tells us they are not the leads and will appear as supporting roles. 

 

Where as in the second 4 episodes we will follow Solomon and Naomi in Canada with Moz likely being a supporting role in both eras.

 

This is an adaption of the novel and if they had to make a literal translation into motion pictures then it would be pointless people can just read the books and be done with it which is why it's called an adaption it takes some of the stories and builds on it and makes an adaption out of it. You may see some of the dialogues and sequences appear from time to time but you will get it mostly from different perspectives and point of views and characters while putting a spin on the tale and sometimes you get addition sequences that didn't feature in the books entirely. That is called an adaption

[Nikaa]

1 hour ago, CallieP said:

Read this comment from the Soompi article that was posted today

 

"Hansu wasn't pure when it came to love. He beat a prostitute bloody disfiguring her face in that book, he was Yakuja and his connection is to Noah more than Sunja. Also, this novel is about Sunja......the biggest eye roll was the fact that Mojasu, a Korean born to two Korean parents in Japan will be played by a Japanese actor."

c’mon, did this writer have to go to such extents?  Are they going to show the beating scene ? 

 

1 hour ago, CallieP said:

 

To all those who read the book @msdot@Layali@HeretorantDoes Hansu have a strong presence throughout the novel? Does he have enough screen time to make himself felt? I read Wikipedia and he seems to be in the background just watching not out in front and participating like Sunja.

 

I feel that in many American series, it is the story that succeeds more than the characters themselves, few like Breaking Bad, you see the character stand out.  Of all the many American series that I have watched, none stood out that I cared about or rooted for.  Can you name some American series where you rooted for the male lead or female lead?

Hopefully LMH has Already read the scripts and knows how important his role will be. I worry about LMH all the time.  But He always chooses his projects so well. 

 

Background? No way! Why would LMH spend 7 months to act as a character in background? Why would the production company choose such an expensive and big Korean Hallyu star for this project unless they wanted to give him the main character. 

Lee Min Ho’s pictures and name was all in articles and headlines. His name and his casting was emphasized. I think LMH and MYM has already discussed with the writer about his character. Hopefully, his character will be the most well-written one.  I also hope he has a lot of screen time

 

[Heretorant]

26 minutes ago, Narine Joa said:

 

In order to care about the story you will by default end up with a dominating character and lead regardless of how much you focus on the story? Let me give you some good examples ''Raised by the wolves'',  ''Games of Thrones'', ''Witcher'' ''The 100'' etc etc. 

 

There has to be a protagonist by default and I can give you some other examples ''You'' ''13 reasons why'' etc etc. I named all the successful recent dramas here as an example. You can't create a tale without a protagonist so yes there is a protagonist in every story and there is gonna be a stand out leads in every single story. 

 

This is the ABC of story writing or tales like we use to do before written history it always had a protagonist. A movie that really tries hard to be without a protagonist is ''The departed'' but even that movie has 2 clear cut protagonists.

 

By the way Game of thrones had two clear cut protagonists in the mother of dragons and John Snow the rest were just supporting characters with bigger arcs

Yes, but what I’m trying to say is, plenty of actors in Game of Thrones had equal screen time. It doesn’t take away from the other characters. I can also argue that Cersei was a protagonist, she played a huge character. We shouldn’t expect that just because he is our Lee Min Ho, he should be the main character and get the most screen time. I’m happy because he is apart of this project and will be happy for him regardless. Why I’m even bringing this up is because I get the feeling some will not be happy if the story doesn’t revolve around him. But shouldn’t we all just be happy for him because this is a great opportunity?
 

Unless this is a show like “You,” there won’t be one character who takes up more than half the screen time. And I’m saying, this is NOT “You.” This is like game of thrones where there are multiple protagonists and it is absolutely fine! And I’m saying it’s possible Hansu’s story can be fleshed out but there shouldn’t be any expectations that only his story will be. We should be prepared to watch multiple characters and understand that they are important to the story as a whole.