World star Lee Jung-jae has chosen the upcoming drama Annoying Love as his next Korean project, following Netflix’s Squid Game.

According to OSEN on the 20th, Lee Jung-jae recently received the script for Annoying Love and is positively considering the offer, with plans to take on the lead role.

Annoying Love is a sharp and witty drama about a washed-up actor forced to return to the spotlight and a former political journalist who now works as an entertainment reporter. The series promises plenty of humor and fiery clashes.

Lee Jung-jae will play Im Hyun-jun, a veteran actor famous for his roles as a righteous detective. Known more by his on-screen character name, Kang Pil-gu, from the hit series Good Detective Kang Pil-gu, Hyun-jun is preparing to shoot season 5 of the show. However, he struggles with burnout after years of playing the same role and desperately wants to transform his image with romantic comedies or melodramas.

This marks Lee Jung-jae’s first appearance in a Korean drama, excluding Squid Game, since JTBC’s Chief of Staff 2 in 2019. His return after five years has drawn significant attention from the industry. During his time away from Korean dramas, Lee made his directorial debut with the film Hunt (2022), appeared in Revolver (2024) in a special role, and participated in the global Disney+ series The Acolyte (2024).

Annoying Love is written by Jeong Yeo-rang, who achieved a 18.5% viewership rating with her debut work Doctor Cha last year. Despite being her first official series, Doctor Cha was praised for its high-quality writing. The drama will be directed by Kim Ga-ram of Good Partner and produced by Studio & New, with channel discussions currently underway.

Meanwhile, Squid Game Season 2 will be released worldwide on December 26, and Lee Jung-jae has already completed filming for Season 3. Production for Annoying Love is scheduled to begin next year.

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