Actor-singer Eric Chou to headline Taiwanese remake of K-drama 'Itaewon Class'

Eric Chou shaved his hair very short for the first time for the role, revealing a scar on his head from childhood. Photo: Eric Chou/Instagram

Get ready to be fired up for a new iteration of Itaewon Class.

The hit 2020 South Korean series which starred Park Seo-joon and Kim Da-mi will be getting another remake, this time in Taiwan.

The cast of Taiwanese adaptation Fired Up! was unveiled at a joint press conference held in Taipei on Thursday, with Taiwanese singer-actor Eric Chou and Hong Kong actress Angela Yuen among the leads.

Chou, 28, will take on the character played by Park, a high-school dropout and ex-convict who opens a pub in Itaewon, Seoul, in hopes of seeking revenge for his father’s death.

In addition to improving his cooking skills for the new drama, Chou also sports a buzz cut for the first time for the role, a hairstyle which revealed a childhood scar on his head.

“It is a big breakthrough for me,” he said at the press conference. “I am also looking forward to this kind of change in my style, as it feels more like ‘the Eric Chou you have never seen before’.”

He also shared photos of his new look on social media, writing that he is ready for the next challenge and asking his fans if they are looking forward to it.

Yuen will portray Kim’s part as the social media-savvy youngster with a crush on Chou’s character.

Fired Up! will be the first Taiwanese drama for the 30-year-old, who was nominated for Best Leading Actress for the movie The Narrow Road (2022) at the Golden Horse Awards in 2022.

She said she liked the script and looks forward to working in Taiwan, with production slated to begin in December.

The other cast members of the remake include Ivy Shao, Huang Guan-zhi, Cosmos Lin, Ben Wu and Sean Lin.

The Japanese remake of Itaewon Class, Roppongi Class (2022), starred Ryoma Takeuchi and Yurina Hirate. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network