Kim Tae-ri to star with Lee Byung-hun in period drama

Actress Kim Tae-ri has been cast alongside actor Lee Byung-hun for the upcoming drama series “Mr. Sunshine” (tentative title), slated to air early next year.

Kim will be the female lead in the show, a melodrama about a Joseon-era man who becomes an American soldier and returns to the country that abandoned him, the show’s production company Hwa and Dam Pictures said Thursday. Kim will play the daughter of a Joseon-era nobleman.

The show will mark the small screen debut of Kim, who starred in last year’s Park Chan-wook thriller “The Handmaiden” alongside Kim Min-hee.

The 27-year-old actress will play the love interest of the character of actor Lee, 47.

“Mr. Sunshine” is penned by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok, the duo that created smash hits “Descendants of the Sun” and “Guardian: The Great and Lonely God.”

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)