Korea, say goodbye for now to Jun Ji-hyun. Hollywood, say hello to Gianna Jun.
Jun, one of the top Hallyu stars, is undergoing a name change as she makes her debut in Hollywood.

Her management agency SidusHQ recently announced Jun has been cast in the role of a vampire hunter named Saya in the film ``Blood: The Last Vampire.’’ The film is a remake of a Japanese anime film by Oshii Mamoru.

For her first Hollywood role, Jun has decided to change her name to Gianna Jun. This move has drawn mixed reactions from her fans.

Her agency said Jun will use the Italian-sounding name Gianna for her roles in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Jun will still use her Korean name in Asia, where she is already well known. .

Jun’s name change is in contrast to actress Kim Yun-jin, who retained her name when she moved to Hollywood. Kim stars in the hit TV series ``Lost.’’

Although ``Blood: The Last Vampire’’ is still in production and will be released in 2008, Jun’s involvement in the film has attracted a lot of attention. The action-packed film will be shot entirely in English. Jun has reportedly been studying hard to learn English for the past few months.

The film will also star Allison Miller, who has appeared in guest roles in ``Desperate Housewives,’’ ``CSI’’ and ``Cold Case.’’

Jun’s move to Hollywood has drawn comparisons to Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, who attracted Hollywood’s attention with her role in the successful film ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’’ Zhang is known for her marital arts roles in films like ``Hero’’ and ``House of Flying Daggers,’’ but has moved on to roles in English films such as ``Memoirs of a Geisha.’’ She is now considered one of the most well known Asian stars in Hollywood.

Jun started her career as a model and debuted as an actress in ``White Valentine’’ in 1999. However, it was her role in ``My Sassy Girl’’ (2001) that undoubtedly made Jun a star.

Since then she has not had a hit film. Her films ``The Uninvited’’ (2003), ``Windstruck’’ (2004) and ``Daisy’’ (2006) performed dismally at the Korean box office.

Despite this, Jun is still considered one of the top stars when it comes to advertising. She continues to appear in dozens of commercials for cosmetics, beverages and cell phones.

Jun may be hoping to leave behind her losing streak at the Korean box office when she goes to Hollywood.

Hollywood is already familiar with Jun’s works, such as ``Il Mare,’’ which was remade as ``Lake House’’ starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

The Hollywood remake of ``My Sassy Girl’’ is currently in production. Elisha Cuthbert, who is known for her role as Kimberly Bauer in the TV series ``24,’’ will play Jun’s role. Also starring in the movie is Jesse Bradford, who starred in ``Flags of Our Fathers’’ and ``Bring it On.’’ The film is scheduled to be released later this year.

what a fucking whore, i hope she flops

Wow, such strong support for a fellow Korean.

You guys are the greatest!

Wow, such strong support for a fellow Korean.

You guys are the greatest!

Wow, such strong support for a fellow Korean.

You guys are the greatest!

yells out to an asian woman

'wow, such strong support for a fellow asian'.
you're the greatest.

lol, in a way it is support. They don't want to see her change for the worse. You know what hollywood does to Asian women..

Calling her an effin whore is support?

Come one. If people (and some have posted) objected to her changing her name and such that's fine.

But just getting on here and calling her names is immature.

i dont support her cuz i dont like her. just because she's korean doesnt mean i have to support her

But just getting on here and calling her names is immature.

i dont support her cuz i dont like her. just because she's korean doesnt mean i have to support her

edit: who cares if its immature? this is the internet. not all of us act the same in real life. get it in your head buddy.

Wow, you sure did get me with that come back.

2 points for you big guy.

ooh witty comeback white boy

Wow, such strong support for a fellow Korean.

You guys are the greatest!

Wow, and now you've been so astute as to insult my race.

Another 2 points!
Yeah jstele, I do agree that that name sounds pretentious.

ahhhhh never mind then

but there's no reason to give support when our fellow koreans make a stupid mistake glorifying the whites. it's better to let these kinds wither and die because it will improve koreans' image

just cross your fingers that she doesn't mak Holly wood. so she can come back.

i agree gianna jun.

and fu-king hollywood a Korean playing rolle of Japanese....great lets start this transition correct folks. but then agian look at braveheart.

it doesnt matter becuase japanese are 25% korean and 25% chinese

isn't jeon ji-hyun part chinese? so that makes her technically like half japanese okay? so shut up

isn't jeon ji-hyun part chinese?

sorry, I read a big debate back here a while ago and the koreans handed over jeon ji-hyun as part chinese. i guess its not confirmed but doesnt she have a chinese last name? and something about her grandfather being chinese

Its to do with her name; Wang instead of Jeon apparently. Shes denied that shes chinese/part chinese so as far as anyone knows shes full korean. Its been said that she changed it because she didn't want people mistaking her for being chinese but I dont know if she ever confirmed that

the fuck are you talking about idiot? shut the fu-k up to things that dont concern you c_nt face

something about her grandfather being chinese

Its been said that she changed it because she didn't want people mistaking her for being chinese but I dont know if she ever confirmed that

None of above have any basis in anything. That's the problem with the internet. It's like that telephone game.

Jeon is rumored to be full chinese, not half or part. That thing about grandfathers never came up to my understanding. And I've never seen anything about her saying she changed her name so that people won't think she's Chinese. From what I've read, whenever Jeon addresses the issue, she always says there's nothing wrong with being Chinese etc but that she's simply not one. If anything she would say she changed it just because "Jeon" has a better ring to it. Many celebs change their names. Also, (full) Korean celebs with the name Wang do exist.

But, eh, not to take celeb issues seriously beyond the fact that I dislike misinformation getting out of hand.

ps: Who the fu-k is !bunder? Dude joins out of nowhere and starts trolling this place up. He reminds me of "Korean Tsunami" and I suspect he's a fake account.

BTW: is wang a popular surname in korea? when was the first time being used? From what i read,it was during the koryo period a guy named wang geom found the dynasty. was he a chinese lelang descended?

I've never heard of a korean guy with last name wang. it's not a popular surname.

Even if a Korean had the last name 'Wang' does not mean he/she has Chinese ancestry. The spelling may look Chinese, but could be pronounced differently.

Wang is a Korean family name 왕 but fairly rare in Korea. According to the South Korean census of 2000, in that year 23,447 people bearing the Wang surname were living in the country. [1]

Wang was one of the most powerful clans in the Chinese commanderies on the Korean Peninsula. According to the Houhanshu, its ancestor Wang Zhong originally lived in Qi (Shandong) in the 2nd century B.C.E., but fled to Lelang when the Prince of Qibei revolted against the Han Dynasty. The Wang clan flourished in the Lelang commandery, and seems to have contributed to the cultural development of subsequent kingdoms

Although it was the Goryeo royal family name, Wang is very rare today. It is said that when Goryeo fell, people called Wang changed their surname to avoid severe persecution from the succeeding Joseon Dynasty. The Kaesong Wang lineage traces its ancestry to the Goryeo rulers.