Lee Min Ho's first Apple TV+ series just announced the actors who will be joining the South Korean superstar for the project.
According to a report by Screenrant, the series will feature an almost all Asian cast led by Lee Min Ho, who will play the role of a shady merchant and outlander who will get involved in a scandalous romance. American actor Jin Ha, who previously appeared in the series Love Life, will play Solomon, an idealistic young man who has to deal with his family's complicated past.
Anna Sawai, who previously appeared in Fast and Furious 9, will take on the lead female role of Naomi, a character who tries to make a mark in the male-dominated world of finance.
Kim Minha will play the role of Sunja, an independent teen who tries to find her place in a foreign land. Soji Arai of the popular series Cobra Kai will portray the role of the devoted father Mosazu. Japanese actor Kaho Minami joins the cast as Etsuko, a self-made woman who wants to be reunited with her daughter.
Based on a novel by award-winning author Kim Jin Lee, Pachinko is expected to be an epic showcase of a historical story that spans four generations. It is expected to take viewers on a journey to three countries.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story revolves around a Korean immigrant family that begins with forbidden love and transforms into a saga that tells the story of war, peace, love, loss, triumph, and reckoning.
It can be recalled that Soo Hugh, who headed the first season of AMC's The Terror, was named as the showrunner of the series by Apple TV+. The Korean American producer reportedly wanted rights to produce Pachinko on her own but production outfit Media Res acquired the rights before her.
Soo Hugh agreed to join forces with the production company to develop the series for Apple TV+ after agreeing on a single vision for the series. Author Kim Jin Lee will receive executive producer credits, along with Media Res owner Michael Ellenberg. Dani Gorin will become a co-executive producer.
Pachinko is a major break for Lee MIn Ho, who recently made a comeback through the fantasy drama King: Eternal Monarch. The actor completed his mandatory service as a civil worker last year. Pachinko is reported to be a big-budget drama that has a production cost to rival Netflix's The Crown, Vulture reported.
