Update: 'IRIS 2' and 'Athena: Goddess of War' are two different dramas.  This article was merely meant to clarify that Lee Byung Hun will not be cast in 'IRIS 2'.  I assume he will also not be in 'Athena', but the point of the article was to break news about him not appearing in 'IRIS 2'.  Sorry for the confusion. With the premiere of the drama 'Athena' looming ahead, many have been wondering about the possibility of actor Lee Byung Hun being cast in 'IRIS 2'. 'Athena: Goddess of War', is a spin-off of the highly popular and successful KBS2 drama series 'IRIS', in which Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee took main roles. Many netizens had been curious about whether these two actors will be re-cast in 'IRIS 2', and finally on the morning of the 31st, an associate of Lee Byung Hun stated that the actor did indeed receive an offer and was currently looking into the character role. However, during a phone conversation between newspaper company OSEN and an associate of Lee Byung Hun's entertainment company, they stated,

"We have never received a casting offer from the production company Taewon Entertainment, nor have we even read the synopsis of the drama. In reality, we are not in a situation for Lee Byung Hun to be cast for this spinoff. The filming for 'G.I Joe 2' will start at the end of this year. Due to 'G.I Joe 2', there will not be any plans for him to star in other dramas or movies for a while."