Following his much-anticipated military discharge, Hallyu star Lee Min Ho is all-set to return to K-drama land. And his return to the small screen will serve as a reunion project with "The Heirs" writer Kim Eun Sook.
In a press release by the production team behind the series, Hwa&Dam Pictures, the show has a working title "The King: The Eternal Monarch" and is scheduled for airing in the first half of 2020.
The program will be under the direction of Baek Sang Hoon, who has also worked with Eun Sook in the internationally-acclaimed pre-produced drama, "Descendants of the Sun." Sang Hoon has also helmed the 2016 hit, "Love In The Moonlight."
In the upcoming show, Min Ho's acting chops will be once again showcased as he is set to play dual roles in parallel words -- one as a Korean emperor and another as a modern-day detective.
"This is our second time working together after 'The Heirs.' We consider him as an actor we trust. Audience can expect to see more mature and deeper acting from Lee Min Ho in [the TV series]," the company remarked in the statement.
In another statement released through a representative named Yoon Ha Rim, Hwa&Dam clarified that there's no final details yet about which network will broadcast the program. According to her, filming will begin "sometime in the second half of this year."
During his mandatory military service, Min Ho worked as a public service officer in Gangnam District Office's Suseo Social Welfare Center. Due to the severe injuries while he met a car accident wayback 2006 and while filming "City Hunter," he was exempted from enlisting as an active duty soldier.
Prior to his enlistment, he last starred in the fantasy drama "Legend of the Blue Sea," opposite fellow Hallyu star Jun Ji Hyun.
Though he started his career in 2003's "Secret Campus," it was his lead role in the Korean remake of "Meteor Garden," "Boys Over Flowers" that catapulted him to nationwide and global acclaim.
He cemented his status as a top-calibre actor in "City Hunter," in which he earned his first-ever acting award. His big screen debut was through the critically acclaimed "Gangnam Blues," where he co-starred with Kim Rae Won.
