I’m still on pins and needles for Joo Ji-hoon to be a zombie-fighting Joseon prince, because it feels like I’ve been excited for his new drama Kingdom for eons now. But since that upcoming drama is fully pre-produced, the actor is already lining up his next drama project. Following Netflix’s Kingdom, he’s confirmed to take on the starring role in MBC’s new fantasy drama Item, about an ordinary man who develops superpowers.
Item comes from PD Kim Sung-wook (second director on Father I’ll Take Care of You and Goodbye Mr. Black), and will be the second drama from writer Jung Ido, who debuted with OCN’s adaptation of Rescue Me last year, about a terrifying cult that takes root in a small town. I loved Rescue Me, so I’m hopeful that this new drama will have an interesting edge to it as well. This one is also based on a webtoon, and it’s about a man who takes on various superpowers based on items he collects, much like a video game.
Kim Kang-woo, Jin Se-yeon
It’s described as a fantasy blockbuster about ordinary people taking on different superpowers, and Joo Ji-hoon has signed on to play a righteous prosecutor who dives headfirst into a mystery surrounding these items in order to rescue his niece. In the process he’ll go up against Kim Kang-woo (My Husband Oh Jak-doo), a genius sociopath inventor who is obsessed with collecting these items and is willing to kill to have them. An offer is also out to Jin Se-yeon (Grand Prince) to play the female lead, but she’s still unconfirmed for the role.
I don’t know if I’m fully onboard with the collect-an-item-and-get-a-superpower setup of this, but maybe it’s one of those things we’ll have to see in action, because it sounds a little hokey on paper. I do love the Joo Ji-hoon/Kim Kang-woo matchup as hero and villain though, so I’m looking forward to seeing their epic battles unfold.
Item is due out in late January 2019.