K-pop idol Cha Jun-ho of the group DRIPPIN’ has been cast in the Japanese remake of the South Korean drama Stove League, marking a transition into acting for the performer. He will portray the character of Im Min-jong in the series, which is slated to premiere on Lemino and WOWOW in Japan on March 28th.
The drama, originally broadcast on SBS in South Korea in 2019, centers on Sakurazaki Jun, a specialist in turning around failing sports teams, as he attempts to rebuild the struggling baseball team “Dreams.” Kamenashi Kazuya will star as Sakurazaki Jun.
Cha Jun-ho joins a cast that includes Kaku So as Kudo Tatsuya, Sato Yuki as Iwata Gaku, and Itao Itsuji as Nishida Katsumi, the manager of the Dreams. Other players will be portrayed by Katsuji Ryo, Yoshihisa Hajime, Tani Kyosuke, and Horii Arata, with Horii Arata also joining from Korea. Nagahama Neru will play Makita Risa, and Mansai Nomura will portray So Negishi, the team president.
The Japanese remake is a joint production between Studio S, a drama studio under the South Korean SBS Media Group, and NTT Docomo Studio & Live. Yoshida Kotaro will play Negishi Mitsuo, chairman of the Yaoshima Group, which owns the Dreams, and Yasui Junpei will play his son, Negishi Ryuta.
The series will consist of eight episodes and will be broadcast on Saturdays at 13:00 JST on Lemino.
