‘Alchemy of Souls’ renewed for second season with Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyung and Go Yoon-jung

Alchemy of Souls has been renewed for a second season with returning cast members Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyung and Go Yoon-jung.

• READ MORE: Alchemy of Souls review: an ambitious spell that risks falling flat

The hit historical drama, which is midway through its first 20-episode run, has been renewed by tvN for a 10-episode second season, according to South China Morning Post. Actors Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyung and Go Yoon-jung have confirmed their participation in the follow-up, which is already in production.

Go will reprise her role as Nak-su, who appeared at the beginning of the show, and becomes a leading character in the second season. The fate of Mu-deok, played by Jung So-min, may be uncertain as the actor’s representatives have reportedly yet to confirm her involvement in the second season.

According to South China Morning Post, the show’s creators split the narrative of Alchemy of Souls into two blocks as they found themselves unable to fit the entire story into a single season.

The first, ongoing season of Alchemy of Souls concludes August 21. It’s currently unclear when the second season will air.

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Alchemy of Souls is penned by screenwriting duo Hong Sisters (Hong Jung-eun and Mi-ran) and set in the fictional kingdom of Daeho, which appears to be loosely based on Korea’s Joseon era. The series revolves around a group of nobles and warriors whose fates become intertwined because of Hwanhonsool, a supernatural phenomenon involving the returned souls of the dead.

The show achieved its highest viewership ratings to date for its latest episode on July 24, according to Soompi, which took first place in its time slot across all cable channels with an average nationwide rating of 7.1 percent – a new peak for the series.

In Alchemy of Souls, Go Yoon-jung plays Nak-Su, a formidable assassin trapped in the body of a frail servant on a quest to regain her magical abilities.

Ex-NU’EST member Hwang Min-Hyun also stars as Seo Yool, the heir of a noble family who is gifted with good looks, intelligence and talent in martial arts – but is also naive and harbours a crush on a secretive girl.

In a three-star review of Alchemy of Souls, NME’s Tanu I. Raj praised its “compelling world and mesmerizing CGI, but that might not be enough to make up for its faults.”

The post ‘Alchemy of Souls’ renewed for second season with Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyung and Go Yoon-jung appeared first on NME.