Kim Rae-won, Lee Da-hee
Kim Rae-won (Black Knight) and Lee Da-hee (Search Query: WWW) have been confirmed as the leads in a new drama about genetic engineering called Luca. With Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species as a starting point, this drama tells the story of a man, played by Kim Rae-won, who was born extraordinarily strong and is thrown into a lonely existence as unknown entities pursue him endlessly.
Kim Rae-won’s character, Ji-oh, somehow finds himself thrown into existence. He has no idea who he is, but he possesses a strength unlike any ordinary person. As sudden as his presence in the world is, he’s just as suddenly on the run, as he’s being hunted by people he doesn’t know. While on the run for his life, he uncovers the truth of his identity.
Lee Da-hee is set to play tough police investigator Gu-reum. After finding evidence of her supervisor’s corruption, she’s relocated from the high crimes unit to the violent crimes unit. With a somewhat reckless personality, she’s unstoppable once she puts her mind to something.
Her parents disappeared when she was younger, and she’s obsessed with finding the truth behind their disappearance. Somehow along her journey, she meets Ji-oh, and their combined energy and skills allows them to uncover some of the answers they seek.
Luca will be directed by Kim Hong-seon (The Guest) and written by Chun Sung-il (Your Honor, Level 7 Civil Servant). Personally, I’m a huge fan of Lee Da-hee and the director’s last drama The Guest, but PD Kim has an uneven track record. He was also behind the drama Level 7 Civil Servant, which was a disaster. I also think Kim Rae-won is more suited to sweet comedies. So I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that Luca will take the best of everyone’s talents and turn out amazing.
tvN’s upcoming Luca will begin airing in the latter half of 2020.