Mr. Sunshine, the latest buzz drama from writer Kim Eun-sook (The Lonely Shining Goblin), only just went into filming in November (despite having been in the works since January), which has delayed the production schedule and thus the broadcast schedule. What was supposed to air during in early 2018 has been moved several months, which means we’ll have to wait till midsummer to catch the blockbuster period romance.
Taking place during the early 1900s, Mr. Sunshine stars Lee Byung-heon (Master) and Kim Tae-ri (The Handmaiden) as a Joseon-heritage U.S. soldier and an aristocrat’s daughter, respectively. Lee Byung-heon’s character originally thinks his country abandoned him when he’s taken forcibly by the U.S. expedition in 1871, but when he returns to Joseon years later, he becomes involved in a national movement to oppose the growing influence of Japan on his homeland.
There are high expectations for this one, especially because it comes from the PD-writer duo that created drama sensations The Lonely Shining Goblin and Descended From the Sun. Moreover, it’ll be Lee Byung-heon’s television comeback after a nine-year drama hiatus (his last was spy thriller IRIS), during which he expanded his filmography and repertoire to include multiple Hollywood films, and Kim Tae-ri is currently the Chungmuro It girl after her strong performance in The Handmaiden.
There are also a couple of additional big names in the cast, including Yoo Yeon-seok (Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim), Kim Sa-rang (Beloved Eun-dong), and Byun Yo-han (Six Flying Dragons). So all around, everyone seems to be looking forward to Mr. Sunshine, which may be why the production team was insistent on not compromising the quality of the project due to timing. In any case, I’m excited to see another Kim Eun-sook drama with her characteristic big romance and quippy dialogue.
Mr. Sunshine is now slated to air next summer on tvN as a Saturday-Sunday drama at the beginning of July.