Disney+ original mystery series 'Grid' sends message about saving Earth: director
From left, actors Kim Sung-kyun and Lee Si-young, director Lee Khan, and actors Kim A-joong and Kim Mu-yeol pose during an online press conference of the Disney+ mystery series “Grid,” Wednesday. Courtesy of Disney+
By Lee Gyu-lee
The global streaming platform Disney+ debuted another Korean original series, the sci-fi mystery “Grid,” Wednesday, hoping to give a boost to its stagnating performance in Korea.
Directed by filmmaker Lee Khan, who led the action film “The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful” (2019), the new suspense thriller revolves around a mysterious figure called “Ghost” (Lee Si-young) who disappeared after developing the system Grid that protected humans from a deadly disaster. About 24 years after her disappearance, she resurfaces and helps a serial killer get away.
When detective Jung Sae-byeok (Kim A-joong) witnesses the existence of the mysterious being, she joins forces with government official Kim Sae-ha (Seo Kang-jun) to reveal the secret of Ghost and chase down the truth behind its link with the serial killer.
The 10-part series was written by Lee Soo-yeon, who is the writer and creator of tvN's hit crime thriller series “Stranger.”
“It wasn't easy to make up my mind to lead this series,” the director said during an online press conference, Wednesday. “What struck me was the series' theme, which is 'we should protect our planet Earth.' Until now, I have actually been questioning why there are no series or films in Korea that talk about saving Earth. So I joined hands with the writer.”
Adding that the series will be a subtle sci-fi in genre with less visual effects, the director noted that his main focus in making the series was creating a fictional universe to the unfamiliar plot.
“There are a lot of sci-fi elements but our series doesn't put forth the visual effects of those. It develops different stories that the writer wanted to unfold, anchoring on reality,” he said. “As the plot is rather unfamiliar, we put in a lot of effort to convincingly develop the fictional universe.”
Actress Kim is returning to the small screen after leading the fantasy medical series “Live Up to Your Name” in 2017.
She said that she was captivated by the story after reading the script.
“I was drawn to how the plot developed. I could grasp the suspense throughout this mystery thriller story,” she said. “I was fascinated by the details and the style that writer Lee uniquely has.”
Actor Kim Mu-yeol plays a senior government official, Song Eo-jin, who works for the department that manages Grid. He has been denying the existence of Ghost, so when Sae-byeok and Sae-ha team up to chase down the truth, he stands at odds with them.
The actor expressed that he was awed by the scientific background of the series, hinting that it will offer an intriguing sci-fi story with a strong foundation in reality.
“I once read an article on how the solar wind can affect the Earth. And then I read the script and I was really impressed,” he said. “The story was heavily based on the findings of actual research. I've heard that the writer scripted the story from a library. That's how impressive and surprising the story is.”
“Grid” will release one episode every Wednesday at 5 p.m.