[Provided by AM Entertainment]
[Provided by AM Entertainment]

Actor Kim Woo-bin is set to star in "Gift," an upcoming tvN baseball drama series slated for the second half of this year.

Based on a webtoon of the same name by writer Jeong I-ri-i-ri, "Gift" follows a former professional baseball pitching coach who gains a special ability after a freak accident and takes over as manager of the worst-ranked high school baseball team in the country.

According to tvN, Kim will play Jeong Min-yong, a former pro pitching coach who acquires the extraordinary ability to instantly assess a player's baseball talent. After leaving the professional circuit, he takes the helm of the last-place high school team and sets out to transform it in his own way.

"Kim Woo-bin will bring Jeong Min-yong's growth and transformation to life with his characteristically deep emotional performance and commanding presence," tvN said, adding that it expects him to "convincingly portray Jeong Min-yong's evolution as he constantly wrestles with the tension between talent and effort while growing alongside his players."

Kim previously earned wide acclaim for his performance in the Netflix series "Genie, Make a Wish" last year, playing the shape-shifting character Genie — by turns warm and cold, playful and serious.


balme@heraldcorp.com