{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6cea7872f233427e9bec698b","clusterId":"c_e3b92a07124545788a016766","slug":"lee-joon-gi-and-alice-ko-join-kentaro-sakaguchi-drama-kidnap-game","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Lee Joon-Gi and Alice Ko Join Kentaro Sakaguchi Drama kiDnap GAME","summary":"Fuji TV has announced the overseas cast for its upcoming October drama \"kiDnap GAME,\" starring Kentaro Sakaguchi. The series follows simultaneous kidnappings across seven Asian cities-Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Naha, and Manila-where victims' families receive an email inviting them to a deadly game: only one loved one can be saved. Sakaguchi plays detective Toshiro Niide, whose wife is kidnapped. South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi (\"The King and the Clown\") joins as Han Ki-joo, a top surgeon whose blind daughter is taken. Lee commented that he was happy to be involved in an international drama again and that the scale of the project made him wonder \"Can we really film this?\" Taipei's Alice Ko (\"Lost in Time\") plays influencer housewife Christina. Hong Kong's Stanley Yau, a member of boy group MIRROR, plays international lawyer Andy. Singapore's Carrie Wong (\"The Journey: Tumultuous Times\") plays flight attendant Janice. Manila's Joel Torre (\"Jose Rizal\") plays taxi driver Miguel. Bangkok's Plearnarponkamol Chaisaeng (\"Master of the House\") plays hostess Ayun. Filming took place across multiple cities with partner companies in Hong Kong and South Korea. Broadcast and distribution are set for 18 countries and regions. Yusuke Kato produces and directs.","whyItMatters":"The casting of Lee Joon-gi and other pan-Asian stars signals Fuji TV's ambition to produce a regionally co-produced thriller that can travel across markets without relying on a single star's domestic pull.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eProducer and director Yusuke Kato said he searched for actors by watching works from each city. Local partners MakerVille and SimStory helped secure the cast. Kato said Lee Joon-gi's performances in \"Flower of Evil\" and \"Again My Life,\" his action work in \"Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,\" and his fluency in English and Japanese made him \"the only choice\" for the Seoul doctor role.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLee said he had long admired Kentaro Sakaguchi's work and wanted to act with him. On set, Lee said, \"seeing his passionate dedication every day taught me a lot even after many years of acting.\" Lee described his own character Ki-joo as \"more calm and somewhat cold\" compared to Sakaguchi's passionate detective, but said he aimed to show depth in the emotional aspects of a father who cherishes his daughter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLee previously appeared in Fuji TV's \"Hotel Venus.\" He said reading the script was exciting and that the process of solving the game's clues and mysteries was thrilling. He also said he looked forward to acting with overseas actors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKato said Alice Ko, Stanley Yau, Carrie Wong, Joel Torre, and Plearnarponkamol Chaisaeng are \"charming as actors and people.\" He said that despite differences in language and culture, \"the passion for acting, visuals, and creating works is universal.\"\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"The drama casts seven actors from seven Asian cities, each playing a kidnapping victim's family member. The game premise — only one loved one can be saved — forces the ensemble into direct competition, not cooperation.","twitterPost":"Seven cities, seven kidnappings, one rescue slot. The cast is assembled not to work together but to compete against each other.","threadsPost":"The kidnappings happen simultaneously in seven Asian cities, and the email tells families only one victim can be saved. That means the ensemble cast — Lee Joon-gi, Alice Ko, and the others — are playing characters set against each other, not with each other. The structure is a contest, not a team-up.","newsletterBlurb":"Fuji TV's October drama \"kiDnap GAME\" has announced its overseas cast, headlined by South Korea's Lee Joon-gi and Taiwan's Alice Ko. The series, set across seven Asian cities, follows a detective whose wife is kidnapped and a surgeon whose daughter is taken, both drawn into a deadly game where only one loved one can be saved.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Eiga Natalie\",\"url\":\"https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/672924\",\"title\":\"Lee Joon-gi, Alice Ko and other overseas cast announced for Kentaro Sakaguchi-starring drama \\\"kiDnap GAME\\\" (with comments)\"},{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0154945\",\"title\":\"Lee Joon-gi to Co-star with Sakaguchi Kentaro: Asian Stars Gather for Fuji TV's October Drama \\\"kiDnap GAME\\\" | Cinema Today\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":8819,"outputTokens":1229,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826577,"createdAt":"2026-05-21T22:31:19.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-21T22:45:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-21T22:45:44.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_e3b92a07124545788a016766","canonicalTitle":"坂口健太郎主演ドラマ「kiDnap GAME」イ・ジュンギ、アリス・クーら海外キャスト発表（コメントあり）","representativeArticleId":"a_95d7f882c15ba0195d7d4fcb","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"坂口健太郎\",\"イ・ジュンギ\",\"アリス・クー\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-21T20:30:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-21T20:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-21T22:45:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Eiga Natalie","url":"https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/672924","title":"坂口健太郎主演ドラマ「kiDnap GAME」イ・ジュンギ、アリス・クーら海外キャスト発表（コメントあり）"},{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0154945","title":"イ・ジュンギ、坂口健太郎と共演　10月期フジ連ドラ「kiDnap GAME」にアジアのスター集結"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["坂口健太郎","イ・ジュンギ","アリス・クー"],"type":"announcement","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Fuji TV's drama 'kiDnap GAME' stars Kentaro Sakaguchi as detective Toshiro Niide, whose wife is kidnapped.","South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi plays Han Ki-joo, a top surgeon whose blind daughter is taken in the series.","The drama follows simultaneous kidnappings across seven Asian cities: Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Naha, and Manila.","Filming took place across multiple cities with partner companies in Hong Kong and South Korea; broadcast and distribution are set for 18 countries and regions.","Producer and director Yusuke Kato said Lee Joon-gi's performances in 'Flower of Evil' and 'Again My Life' and his fluency in English and Japanese made him 'the only choice' for the Seoul doctor role."]}