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Lee Joon-gi, TVXQ’s Changmin turn into vampire, prince for new TV drama
Korean period drama meets “Twilight” in a new MBC drama, starring two popular Hallyu stars -- Lee Joon-gi and Changmin of TVXQ.
In “Scholar Who Walks the Night,” actor Lee Joon-gi takes on the role of vampire scholar Kim Sung-yeol. A year since “Gunman in Joseon,” Lee returns to the small screen with a vampire role that seems fit for the actor with pale skin, sharp features and substantial experience with period dramas.
Lee Joon-gi (MBC) |
As vampires have become more common recently in movies and on TV, “Scholar Who Walks the Night” aims to give more dimension to the well-known figures.
“There are a lot of vampire stories out there these days, so we tried hard to make it different,” said director Lee Sung-joon at a press conference for the show Tuesday at MBC’s headquarters in Sangam-dong, Seoul.
Set in an alternate Joseon dynasty, “Scholar Who Walks the Night” is based on a comic series of the same title by Jo Joo-hee. In the show, Kim is turned into a vampire while trying to protect a woman he loves. During the 120 years that ensue, Kim channels his bloodthirstiness into killing only criminals and gains a reputation as a faceless hero of the night.
Kim’s goal is to destroy the evil vampire Gwi (Lee Soo-hyuk), who resides in the royal palace and manipulates politicians according to his will. In the course of his pursuits, Kim encounters Jo Yang-sun (Lee Yoo-bi), a cheery girl who cross dresses as a male bookseller to make a living.
Shim Chang-min of TVXQ, also known as Max Changmin, plays the crown prince Lee Yoon, a character who is “intelligent and of noble character, but who pretends to be a free-spirited commoner on the outside.”
Shim Chang-min (MBC) |
“Scholar Who Walks the Night” airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on MBC at 10 p.m. starting this week.
By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)