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| Actors Esom, from left, Lee Jae-hun, and Pyo Ye-jin pose for pictures during an online press conference for "Taxi Driver," Tuesday. Courtesy of SBS |
By Lee Gyu-lee
The new SBS series, "Taxi Driver," is set to air starting Friday, delivering hard-boiled action and a cathartic storyline of "good versus evil."
"The series is about rescuing crime victims who are on the edge of despair, and about delivering a message to real-life victims that they are not the ones responsible for their pain and struggles," director Park Joon-woo said during an online press conference for the series, Tuesday. "It will have colorful, stylish scenes of car chases and thrilling action."
Based on the webcomic "The Deluxe Taxi," the action crime series follows a former Special Forces officer, Kim Do-ki (Lee Jae-hun), who works as a driver at Rainbow Taxi Company. It is written by scriptwriter Oh Sang-ho, whose previous works include the crime thriller "Fabricated City."
The company offers a rather unusual service of avenging its customers. Led by the company's owner, Jang Sung-cheol (Kim Eui-sung), Do-ki puts together a group of vigilantes to deliver justice per their customers' request.
Director Park, who has experience working on investigative journalism shows like "Unanswered Questions," noted that he used cases from that show in the story.
"Many probably have some sort of rage towards the cases where the offenders didn't get the punishment they deserve," he said. "So we incorporated those cases, including issues involving school bullying and sexual exploitation, into our series."
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| Scenes from the SBS series "Taxi Driver" / Courtesy of SBS |
Comparing his role to the superhero Batman, he explained that his character brings justice against those who take advantage of the blind spots in the legal system.
"My character sympathizes with the victims and takes down the evils," he said. "Viewers will be able to feel a sense of satisfaction with the action scenes from our series."
Actress Esom plays prosecutor Kang Ha-na, who is a new character for the TV adaptation. Compared to Do-ki, who chooses unorthodox ways to take matters into his own hands, Ha-na pursues justice within the legal framework.
"Ha-na is passionate and sometimes very straightforward when it comes to accomplishing her goal," Esom said. "I haven't done too many roles yet, but this is the most virtuous character I have ever played."
The series had a mishap during its production when cast member Lee Na-eun of K-pop group April left the show following accusations that she ostracized her bandmate, Lee Hyun-joo. Actress Pyo Ye-jin took Lee's role.
Director Park noted that the team took the incident as a chance to improve the series. "In mid-March, we had to reshoot the series from the beginning. But the staff and actors came together to encourage each other to see the bright side of things," he said. "Personally, I was able to make better scenes [with the reshoot]."
"Taxi Driver" will premiere on Friday at 10 p.m.
