Heo Nam-jun sets next project with period romance 'Whale Star'

Following his breakout success in "My Royal Nemesis," the actor is heading to an adaptation of the acclaimed Naver webtoon

From left: Heo Nam-jun, Moon Ga-young, Choi Woo-shik (tvN)

After his breakout performance in hit drama "My Royal Nemesis," Heo Nam-jun is set to headline tvN's period romance "Whale Star" (tentative title) alongside K-drama heavyweights Choi Woo-shik and Moon Ga-young.

Set to premiere in 2027, "Whale Star" is set in colonial-era Seoul in 1926 and follows a generation of young people against the backdrop of the country's independence movement.

Heo stars as Song Hae-su, a resolute independence fighter who has lost his family. A fateful incident leaves him tragically entangled with Heo Su-a (Moon), a maid working for a pro-Japanese household. Their lives become entangled with Kang Ui-hyeon (Choi), an independence activist who has been swept into the sea and ends up being rescued by Heo Su-a.

The series is based on the acclaimed Naver webtoon of the same name and boasts a notable creative team. Acclaimed filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, known for the film "Christmas in August," co-directs the series alongside Yoo Beom-sang, whose credits include the hit series "Twinkling Watermelon" and "Study Group."

The original webtoon ran from 2019 to 2021 and earned widespread acclaim, consistently maintaining a near-perfect rating and remaining one of Naver Webtoon's highest-rated romance titles. The webtoon went on to win the Presidential Award in the comics category at the 2021 Korea Content Awards.

yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com