Yoon Kye-sang, Yoon Kyun-sang
I don’t know whether to be excited or embarrassed about this! Mostly excited, but with a large side helping of secondhand embarrassment, I think. The first round of stories broke the news that Yoon Kye-sang would be taking the lead in a new drama, a thriller with the PD of Six Flying Dragons, and I was excited to hear it since he did such a fantastic job in last year’s The Good Wife. But his reps refuted the news right away, saying that he hadn’t even received an offer and that the report was erroneous.
Soon after, it emerged that it was Yoon Kyun-sang (Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People) who would be taking the lead instead, and I was happy about that because he was so great headlining Rebel and this seemed like a logical casting choice since he worked with the director previously in Six Flying Dragons, where he reportedly stole scenes and hearts. But I also cringed really hard at the thought that some lazy reporter just got the name wrong. But then his reps also debunked those claims, saying no offer had been made to him, either. Is there another Yoon Something-sang I’m forgetting about who might be next?
But on the upside, with or without either Yoon, we still have news of a new drama, which is always a good thing in my book! Doubtful Victory is one way to translate the title, but as with every third title in dramaland, the title’s really a pun incorporating the main character’s name, so it can also be read Mysterious Il-seung. Take your pick?
PD Shin Kyung-soo is the man behind this new drama, and previously directed lauded historical drama Tree With Deep Roots, its epic saga prequel Six Flying Dragons, and modern-day presidential action-thriller Three Days. He’s going modern again with Doubtful Victory, which is centered around a fake detective named Oh Il-seung, who’s on a mission to “take down hidden monsters” and reclaim his real life.
Il-seung was wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned, and has spent ten years on death row. He manages to break out of prison and somehow becomes a (fake) cop, then sets out to find a hidden stash of 100 billion won (nearly 100 million dollars) on behalf of criminals who will supply him with a new identity upon receipt. He has (wait for it…) three days to find the cash and begin his new life.
Doubtful Victory will be a Monday-Tuesday drama on SBS that airs in November, following Seo Hyun-jin’s Temperature of Love, which will air after the currently airing thriller Falsify.