Jo Seung-woo, Lee Dong-wook
This has buzz project written all over it: The writer of last year’s acclaimed thriller Forest of Secrets, Lee Soo-yeon, has a new drama in the works over at JTBC titled Life, and has lined up Jo Seung-woo (Forest of Secrets) and Lee Dong-wook (The Lonely Shining Goblin) to star. I bet a bunch of people jumped onboard before even finishing that sentence.
This project was first announced last summer, but with the addition of these actors, it’s got my attention all over again. If you’re concerned about the fate of the Forest of Secrets Season 2 that’s in the works, don’t worry: Lee Soo-yeon has said that Season 2, while still just in the early discussion stages, would be next on her list after Life. So the scheduling of this shouldn’t affect the other show.
Life will be a medical drama set in the emergency center of a large hospital. Lee Dong-wook is set to play a medical specialist (it’s unclear what kind) at the emergency center, while Jo Seung-woo will play the commanding head of operations at the hospital. I can’t wait to see Jo Seung-woo in another drama (it’s like he’s making up for all those years he only filmed movies!) because he’s one of those powerhouses who always delivers, and Lee Dong-wook can be super compelling in the right role (see: Reaper).
Admittedly, there’s not a lot to go on with that description, but Forest of Secrets has raised expectations for what this writer will do next, and I imagine she’ll find a way to bring suspense and smartly written conflict to the medical genre. If I had just one wish, it’s that the production changes this working title to something more distinctive, since competitor cable station tvN also has their anticipated drama Live coming up soon.
Life will air on JTBC later this year; a timeslot has not yet been specified.