It’s a big week for Korean American Hollywood icons John Cho and Ken Jeong!
One booked a crime thriller. The other? Just set a date for his K-drama debut. Double the news, double the slay. 😉
🎬 John Cho In His K-Drama Era?!
It’s been nearly 30 years since John Cho made his debut in Hollywood, but “Tempest” marks a first — his official K-drama debut. 🤯
According to a Variety, John Cho’s upcoming K-drama “Tempest” is a 9-episode Korean spy thriller. It’s set to premier on September 10 on Disney+ internationally and Hulu in the States. 3 episodes will drop on September 10 followed by 2 episodes weekly until October 1.
And get this — it stars Gianna Jun (My Love from the Star, Kingdom) and Gang Dong-won (Peninsula, Uprising). Korean A-list royalty, okay?! John Cho is set to star as Anderson, the assistant state secretary as he’s embroiled in a multinational conspiracy threatening the stability of Korea after an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.
Honestly I don’t know how major John Cho’s role will be. I just hope that he only speaks in English because if he speaks in Korean, I’m going to need a moment. 😬 Why would I feel this way? In a 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he confessed that he speaks like a 6 years old in Korean. If he does end up speaking in Korean, I pray 🙏 that he gives an Oscar level performance. Because I don’t want to be in cringe mode throughout the show. (Sorry haters, but it’s the truth🤷🏻♀️)
In the end though, I love it that he’s willing to try out something new, even after 30 years of acting. And let’s be honest, with Gianna Jun and Gang Dong-won in the mix, I was already watching anyway. 😂
You bet this one’s going on my review radar. 👀
🕵️♂️ Ken Jeong in a Crime Thriller?!
Ken Jeong also joins John Cho for firsts! 🤭
On July 22, Deadline broke the news that Ken Jeong has joined indie-crime thriller “52nd State”. Yup, you read that right- crime thriller. 🤯
He will play Jay Hailey, a quirky U.S. Postal Inspector who stumbles into a massive scam targeting elderly Americans. As the investigation spirals across borders, he’s forced to confront personal demons and the bureaucratic nightmare he works for. So yeah — not your average Ken Jeong role.
This is catching attention for two reasons:
- He’s Stepping Out of Comedy. This strays away from Ken Jeong’s usual comedic persona. I mean just look at his resume, such as “Hangover”, “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Community”. That said, his character in this new project is described as ‘quirky’, so we may see a sliver of his comedic side.
- A Reunion of Netflix Execs. Former Netflix Head of Product Todd S. Yellin and Co-founder of Netflix Reed Hastings will reunite in this project. This is apparently Reed Hastings’s first project with producer credit. Personally, I’m not deep into the movie industry so it’s like, what’s the deal? But if Netflix people are backing the project, at least something’s gonna stick on the wall, right?
Another reason is that this movie will reunite two Netflix Execs, Todd S. Yellin and Reed Hastings. Todd S. Yellin is former Netflix long-time Head of Product while Reed Hastings is the co-founder of Netflix. Supposedly, this will be Reed Hastings first movie with producer credit. Personally, because I’m not familiar with the behind the scene in the movie industry, I’m not sure how much of a big deal this is. But I guess the name ‘Netflix’ these days is a big deal anywhere.
So, will Ken Jeong fall flat in his first intense acting role? Or will he successfully join the ranks of comedic actors that’s gone dramatic, such as Robin Williams, Steve Carrell, Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler?
👩🏻🍵 Kayla’s Thoughts
To sum it up…
✅ Proud for both actors 🥳
✅ Keep them on my radar 🤓
✅ Pray that I have nothing bad to say. 🙏
Are you guys feeling the same thing as me? Let me know in the comments below 👇
