TVN has recently dropped the official trailer of "Asadal Chronicles," starring Hallyu superstar Song Joong Ki.
The period drama, which is considered as one of the most anticipated TV dramas of 2019, signals Joong Ki's return to the small screen. His last project was the globally acclaimed "Descendants of the Sun," in which he was paired with his now-wife Song Hye Kyo.
In the trailer, the 33-year-old actor sports curly locks and a battle-ready hand-painted face. He is seen urgently heading towards the fictional city of Asadal, where he can find the story's main antagonist played by Jang Dong Gun.
Asadal serves as the capital of the Gojoseon Kingdom in the drama.
The video, thrillingly captioned "If you survive, may you become a legend," also shows snippets of epic scenes such as a room filled with soldiers as well as pagan ritual-looking images. The clip also features the main female lead, Kim Ji Won, towards the end.
Ji Won and Joong Ki have previously worked together in Descendants of the Sun (DOTS).
Prior to his DOTS fame, Joong Ki has starred in various dramas that catapulted him to nationwide and Asia-wide popularity -- including Sungkyungkwan Scandal (2010) and The Innocent Man (2012). He also top-billed feature films, the most notable of which is 2012's A Werewolf Boy, opposite actress Park Bo Young.
Asadal Chronicles is reported to be hitting televisions in June. Like DOTS, this will be 100% pre-produced. It has enlisted Kim Won Seok (Misaeng, My Mister, and Signal) as its director, with Kim Young Hyun (Tree With Deep Roots, Six Flying Dragons, and Queen Seon-deok) taking over the script-writing.
Though immensely anticipated, the TVN saeguk-fantasy drama was recently put in a bad light with the alleged issue of overwork. In reports that circulated online, it was said that the production crew and the stars have been filming for up to 151 hours a week to meet the targeted broadcast premiere.
A union of Studio Dragon, the production company that helms the drama, said that their employees are only required to work up to a maximum of 68 hours per week.
It was also reported that undisclosed injuries have occured while shooting the big-budget production. As of writing, Studio Dragon is yet to respond to the said allegations.
With an estimated production cost of around $352 million (or 400 billion won), Asadal Chronicles ranks as one of the most expensive TV dramas of the year.
