Now it can be told.
Some of the stars from several popular K-drama series have been in the Philippines for the filming of the upcoming K-drama Casino, also known as King of Savvy.
Expected to be released on the latter part of 2022, this project stars Choi Min Sik (Old Boy), Lee Dong Hwi (Reply 1988), Kim Joo Ryoung (Squid Game), Son Suk Ku, (Liberation Notes), and Heo Sung Tae (Squid Game).
Pinoy fans of K-drama are probably familiar of Lee Dong Hwi, who is the neighborhood clown in Reply 1988, and Kim Joo Ryoung, who plays a conwoman in Squid Game.
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Written and directed by by Kang Yoon Seong (The Outlaws and Kingdom: Crown Prince), Casino reportedly has a budget amounting to 20 billion won (roughly PHP880 million).
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) obtained information from a reliable source that Casino started shooting in the Philippines on the second week of March 2022 and it lasted until June 1, 2022.
A separate post from Cheche Tepase of Viva shows a group photo of the team behind Casino that was partly shot in the country.
Back in March and April, Lee Dong Hwi posted some of his souvenir photos walking around Makati and even stopped by Greenbelt mall.
He confirmed in his caption that he's in the Philippines.
Kim Joo Ryoung, for her part, posted a photo of her taken in Clark, Pampanga last April.
In a separate post, Kim Joo Ryoung wrote, "Survival report [smile emoji] Having fun and healthy shooting in the Philippines!!"
WHO ARE THE FILIPINO CAST MEMBERS OF CASINO?
What makes the project more exciting is that a total of nine Filipino character actors are part of this action-drama Korean series.
The PEP.ph source also hinted that one of the Pinoy cast members has a crucial role in Casino, but refused to say exactly who that star is.
The cast of Casino is set to continue filming the remaining part of the series in Korea.
It is produced by BA Entertainment, C-Jes Entertainment, and Arc Media. Grace Lee of the production company Glimmer Inc. is the Philippine local producer with the help of Viva.
CHOI MIN-SIK'S TV COMEBACK
Headlined by Choi Min Sik, Casino is a crime-action drama about the turbulent life of a casino mogul.
It marks the comeback of Choi Min Sik on TV whose last appearance on the small screens was for MBC's Love and Separation that aired form August 1997 to January 1998.
But he remained active in the movie scene and starred in films such as Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (2020 Cannes Film Festival Selection entry), Forbidden Dream (2019), and Roaring Currents (2014).