Kang Hanna, Jang Hyuk, Lee Joon
Kang Hanna (My Roommate Is a Gumiho) has been offered the female lead in KBS’ new sageuk drama, tentatively called Red Heart, and she is positively reviewing the offer. If she accepts, she would be acting opposite Lee Joon (Father is Strange) and Jang Hyuk (Tell Me What You Saw).
Red Heart will tell the story of a fictional Joseon-era crown prince turned king, Lee Tae (played by Lee Joon). Born the eldest son of the king, he gains the throne after a coup. Lee Tae dreams of absolute monarchy and becoming a more powerful ruler than his weak father had ever been.
The role Kang Hanna is considering is Yoo Jung, a woman whose free-spirited nature couldn’t be restricted, even by the strict Confucianism of that time. Lee Tae falls for her free-spirited nature and chooses her as his crown princess, which plunges her family into great danger. Caught in the middle of a power struggle, she must choose between her love for Lee Tae or her family’s plans for revenge.
Jang Hyuk will play Park Kye-won, a powerful political figure who played a major role in helping Lee Tae successfully instigating the rebellion. Though once allies, after Lee Tae takes the throne, Park Kye-won’s goal becomes turning the king into a “royal flower,” i.e. a decorative figurehead that he can control.
If Kang Hanna accepts this project will reunite Kang Hanna and Jang Hyuk; they previously worked together in the 2015 sageuk film Empire of Lust. I always love her in whatever role she plays so I’m very excited to hear that she’s already considering her next project, and in a lead role at that!
The drama will be written by Park Pil-joo (Shall We Live Together, First Love Again) and has yet to announce a director. Red Heart is expected to premiere in 2024.