So Ji Sub has been offered the lead role in the live-action adaptation of Manager Kim.
The actor is already turning heads with his current action-noir series Mercy For None, and the momentum continues with this latest casting offer. If he accepts, So will take on the titular role in another webcomic adaptation—one that shares thematic ties to Mercy For None, as both characters are forced to confront their buried pasts due to outside forces.
If he accepts the role, this will mark So’s second foray into action drama, following a 13-year gap before returning to the genre in Mercy For None. He previously starred in the 2015 rom-com Oh My Venus, which earned him the Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards, and in My Secret Terrius, for which he received the Daesang at the MBC Drama Awards. Before Mercy For None, his last TV role was in 2022’s Doctor Lawyer.
In the webcomic, Mr. Kim appears to be an ordinary man—a single father and company manager—until his daughter Minji goes missing. He immediately sheds his meek façade, revealing his past as a deadly black-ops agent determined to stop at nothing to find her.
Created by toy and illustrated by Jeongjongtaek, Manager Kim debuted in English on WEBTOON on February 11, 2022. With 178 chapters and nearly 35 million views, it continues to attract a wide readership. The series exists in the same universe as Viral Hit and Lookism, with Mr. Kim making a cameo in the latter.
Manager Kim is available to read on WEBTOON.
Source: Sports Hankooki
