Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Star-studded lineup set for Disney+ in coming months
Disney+ new original series “Blood Free” will release on April 10. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
By Lee Gyu-lee
Disney+ has unveiled an exciting array of upcoming titles set to premiere on the platform later this year, promising a mix of science fiction, action and drama.
The sci-fi thriller series “Blood Free” kicks off the lineup, hitting the streaming platform on April 10. The series revolves around Yoon Ja-yu (Han Hyo-joo), CEO of a biotech company that opened up the era of lab-grown meat. When she gets involved in mysterious deaths, she joins hands with Woo Chae-woon (Ju Ji-hoon), a former bodyguard who approached her intentionally, to expose a conspiracy.
The series is directed by Park Chul-hwan, who previously led the Disney+ original series “Grid” (2022), and is scripted by Lee Su-yeon, who is known for writing the hit thriller series “Stranger” (2017).
Among Disney+'s most anticipated releases is “Uncle Samsik,” which is creating a buzz as award-winning "Parasite" actor Song Kang-ho’s first small screen work in his decades-long career.
Set in the 1960s, the drama series follows the story of Pak Doo-chill (Song), a shady fixer who goes by the name Uncle Samsik. He comes across an elite idealist, Kim San (Byun Yo-han), who is ambitious to turn his country’s fortunes around. The two opposite people form an unlikely friendship, working together for the country’s prosperity.
The series, scheduled for release in the first half of this year, is scripted and directed by filmmaker Shin Yeon-shick, who co-scripted the comedy film “Cobweb” (2023).
Actor Kim Sun-ho is making his small screen return with the action series “The Tyrant,” which is set to come out in the latter half of this year.
The four-part series revolves around a biological weapon program called the Tyrant Program, in which the last sample gets stolen during delivery. The missing sample sparks a race among people surrounding the program, including former agent Im Sang (Cha Seung-won), the government agency’s bureau director Choi (Kim Sun-ho) and foreign intelligence agent Paul (Kim Kang-woo).
This will be the series debut for Park Hoon-jung, a filmmaker who is known for the crime action film “New World” (2013) and “The Witch” film series.
A scene from the Disney+ upcoming original series “Trigger” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
Other notable mentions include A-lister-led "Trigger" with Kim Hye-soo, "Red Swan" featuring Jung Ji-hoon and "Gangnam B-Side" starring Ji Chang-wook, all scheduled for release later this year.
Directed by Yoo Seon-dong, whose previous work includes “The Uncanny Counter,” “Trigger” will follow an investigative TV show crew, led by Oh So-ryong (Kim Hye-soo), getting their hands dirty to solve difficult cases that the police gave up on.
The melodrama thriller “Red Swan” revolves around a former golfer, Oh Wan-soo (Kim Ha-neul), who joins hands with her bodyguard, Seo Do-yoon (Jung) to uncover a dark secret of the rich family she married into. The series is directed by Park Hong-gyoon, who previously made the 2011 hit rom-com series “The Greatest Love.”
Directed by crime film “Money” filmmaker Park Noo-ri, the crime series “Gangnam B-Side” follows a group of people, including a fixer (Ji) and a detective (Jo Woo-jin), working together to take down criminals involved in vice, drugs and corruption in the Gangnam area.
Disney+’s reality show “The Zone: Survival Mission” is also returning for a third season in the second half of this year with a new addition to its cast.
The show, which invites cast members to survive simulated scenarios following an apocalypse, will have TV personalities Kim Dong-hyun and Dex, as well as two original members, Yoo Jae-suk and Yuri.