Kim So-yeon to take on Coffee?

Will Kim So-yeon be filling the spot vacated by Lee Da-hae? It looks like the big-budget spy melodrama Coffee is finally getting back on its feet after some huge production delays. And uh…not to lead the parade or anything, but if I were casting a spytastic movie, historical or not, I’d have started by knocking on Kim So-yeon’s door. Did you SEE her one-episode stint on IRIS-spinoff Athena? Rest my case.

She’s still considering the project so it’s not a done deal, but now that her name’s being bandied about, I’m suddenly curious to know if it’s going to be more action-centric than I had previously assumed. Coffee takes place in Emperor Gojong’s reign in the late Joseon era, and the lead role is the emperor’s barista, who is also a key player in his assassination attempt.

Does she get turned by a Russian spy? Is she a Russian spy? What mystery surrounds the woman who makes the emperor’s coffee?

Currently signed on to star is Joo Jin-mo (Invincible, above), who I hope is sticking with the project now that it’s back in motion. Also attached are Park Hee-soon (A Barefoot Dream) and Yoo Sun (Sons of Sol Pharmacy).

If Kim does join the cast, it’ll be her first film in six years, since 2005′s Seven Swords. Coffee is described as a historical spy mystery, and is based on the novel Russian Coffee by Kim Tak-hwan. Directing is Jang Yoon-hyun (Tell Me Something, Hwang Jini).

Coffee was supposed to start filming at the beginning of the year; hopefully this casting news means it’ll soon enter principal photography for a release sometime this year, as planned.

Via Osen, Dramabeans