Trust dramaland to take the most innocuous job ever and somehow make it into a high-stakes thriller. MBC is busy preparing for its next Wednesday-Thursday show, titled The Banker, and has released several stills of its main lead Kim Sang-joong (Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People). He’ll be joined by fellow veteran heavyweights Chae Shi-ra (Goodbye to Goodbye) and Yoo Dong-geun (Marry Me Now), as well as promising young talent like Ahn Woo-yeon (Let’s Eat 3), Shin Do-hyun (Dance Sports Girls), and Cha In-ha (Clean With Passion for Now).
Kim Sang-joong will play the titular “banker,” a former small-time branch manager of Daehan Bank with a flailing career, who unexpectedly gets promoted to headquarters as an auditor. He, and other employees in the auditing office, will investigate corporate corruption among various organizations. Which I’m sure ruffles more than a few feathers, judging by the menacing figures cornering our poor hero in a darkly lit alleyway at night. The show is definitely selling the underdog story, pitting a bank employee against corporate giants. But with Kim Sang-joong playing the auditor, it almost feels like a fair fight.
Directing is Lee Jae-jin, whose credits include Woman With a Suitcase and Strange Daughter-in-law. Penning the script will be writers Oh Hye-ran, Bae Sang-wook, and Seo Eun-jung. The writers all seem to be newbies, and only Oh Hye-ran has any credits to her name, though it’s pretty sparse, with one web series and a drama special to her name. The behind-the-scenes crew is a little underwhelming, but I’m hoping that the onscreen talent will more than make up for it.
The Banker will premiere on MBC on March 27, following Spring Must Be Coming.
