Ji Sung’s imprisoned mind and body in first teaser for Defendant

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Drama Casting & News

Ji Sung’s imprisoned mind and body in first teaser for Defendant

The first teaser is out for SBS’s upcoming Monday-Tuesday legal thriller Defendant, and it already looks as though Ji Sung (Entertainer) is poised to draw out the tears with a stirring performance as a prosecutor-turned-defendant on death row who’s convicted of a crime he has no recollection of, and forced to prove his innocence while time runs out.

Ji Sung takes on the lead role of accomplished prosecutor Park Jung-woo, who goes from an illustrious legal career to prime suspect behind bars for the murder of his wife and daughter. He’s wrongly accused of this tragic crime, but is unable to remember the events of the last four months, so he painstakingly writes down fragments of his memories in a journal in the hopes of piecing together the truth that will set him free.

Eom Ki-joon (Night Teacher) plays dual roles as twin brothers Cha Sun-ho and Cha Min-ho, the latter of which is the epitome of evil who’s deceived the world into thinking he’s innocent. Defendant comes from writers Choi Su-jin (City Hunter) and Choi Chung-hwan, and is directed by PD Jo Young-kwang (Hyde, Jekyll, Me).

The teaser opens with Ji Sung, determined and authoritative as a Seoul Central District prosecutor. “I’ll catch him. Cha Min-ho,” he says, and we see Eom Ki-joon as Cha Min-ho, drunk and dragging a golf club along the floor before he uses it to strike someone who was hiding in the closet. We hear a bloodcurdling scream, and Ji Sung cries out in agony in prison, thinking of his wife and daughter.

He suddenly goes from star prosecutor to prison inmate and we hear him whisper, “I don’t remember. I must find whoever did this.” The copy reads, “Murdered wife and missing daughter. The world says I’m the culprit. Memories erased. I must retrieve everything.”

That brief glimpse of Eom Ki-joon was quite chilling, and knowing that he’ll be playing twin brothers will probably double the chill factor and suspense. And Ji Sung never disappoints, so I hope Defendant turns out to be a worthwhile project for him.

Defendant will premiere on SBS on January 23, after Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim ends.