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Renowned South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun is set to take the lead role in an upcoming Disney+ crime drama series titled “Knock-Off.” Scheduled for release in 2025, the series will explore the underworld of counterfeit goods. Kim will play the complex character of Kim Sung-joon, an ordinary office worker whose life takes a dramatic turn after losing his job during Asia’s 1997 financial crisis. He gets involved in the illegal counterfeit trade and eventually rises to the top as a global kingpin.

Joining Kim in the cast is actress Jo Bo-ah, known for her roles in “Tale of the Nine Tailed” and “Military Prosecutor Doberman.” She will portray Song Hye-jung, a police officer who specializes in enforcing counterfeit laws. Her character happens to be Sung-joon’s ex-girlfriend, setting up a tense dynamic as their jobs put them in an ongoing cat-and-mouse game.

The series is being written by experienced screenwriter Han Jung-hoon,...

“I Saw the Devil” screenwriter and director of “New World,” Park Hoon-jung has written and directed Korean espionage-revenge-drama series “The Tyrant.” Production is by Goldmoon Pictures.

The four-part miniseries which launches on the Disney+ streaming platform next month (Aug. 14), centers around a cutting-edge virus that is stolen during a secret handover between Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies. Both governments will go to war to recover it.

The show stars: Jo Yoon-su as vengeful assassin Chae Jagyeong; Cha Seoung-won as cold-blooded mercenary Lim Sang; Kim Seon-ho as Director Choe, the leader of the secret Korean project; and Kim Kang-woo as U.S. intelligence agent Paul.

“After years of seeing their country be suppressed by foreign powers, a group of rogue scientists working within the South Korean government begin to a develop a virus that will put their country on a level playing field with the world’s most powerful nations.

Disney+ Announces Korean Espionage Series ‘Tempest’: Cast, Plot, & Release Date Explored ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Disney+ is adding an exciting title to its slate of Korean dramas. The streaming giant has announced a new espionage thriller series titled Tempest. The show is about a diplomat and a special agent who team up for a dangerous mission.

The series’ lead cast has been confirmed, including two famous A-listers. Disney+ has also unveiled the release window for the spy series. Here are all the updates we have so far about Tempest.

Disney+’s Tempest Plot: A Diplomat and an International Agent Collaborate to Stop a Deadly Attack

Tempest, earlier titled North Star, revolves around an accomplished diplomat who served as an ambassador to the US. The other protagonist is a former mercenary and an international special agent whose identity and nationality remain mysterious. The two take up a mission to uncover the...

Disney has confirmed that Korean webtoon-to-screen adaptation “Low Life” is poised to begin production.

When valuable treasure is discovered off the coast of Korea, the country’s biggest degenerates come crawling out of the woodwork in the hope of striking it big. Word spreads after a fisherman got lucky and kept a piece of the booty for himself. Among those tempted to brave the depths of the ocean are two members of a fractious and disunited crime family – notably an uncle who both looked after his nephew and led him astray.

The original story was a webtoon written by Yoon Tae-ho and first published by Kakao between 2014 and 2015. The literal translation of the Korean title is ‘country bumpkin.’ The story itself was inspired by a real-life event when a 14th century Chinese ship was found in 1975 off the coast of Shinan, South Korea.

The adaptation is penned by Kang Yoon-sung,...

Two months after revealing its Korean slate for 2024, Disney+ has unveiled another series from the country. Titled Low Life, the show will premiere on the platform next year and Hulu in the U.S.

The series will star veteran actor Ryu Seungryong (Moving) and Yang Sejong (Doona!). Set in 1970s Korea, the story follows a fisherman as he discovers a treasure lost for generations at the bottom of the ocean. Taking a small part of it home for himself, word soon begins to spread about the vast fortune waiting to be claimed by those brave enough to risk the depths. Desperate to escape his depressing life, Oh Heedong (Yang) partners with his uncle Oh Gwanseok (Ryu) in an attempt to reach the treasure before the rest of the world.

This title is part of Disney+ strategic push in Asia Pacific to develop original content in Korea. The streamer has been...

South Korea’s Showbox has sold runaway box office hit Exhuma to a raft of key territories, including the US, UK and across Asia.

The supernatural thriller has been snapped up for North America (Well Go USA), the UK, Australia and New Zealand (K-Movie Entertainment UK), German-speaking Europe and Benelux (Splendid), Japan (Kadokawa Kplus), Latin America (Cine Canibal), Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Philippines (Purple Plan), Indian subcontinent (Impact Films), Taiwan (MovieCloud), Cis and the Baltics (Prime Time Media), Hong Kong and Macau (Edko Films), Vietnam (Mocking Bird) and Mongolia (Filmbridge).

It marks the first film in five years from Jang Jae-hyan,...

Streaming platform Disney+ will add four new Korean-language original series to its 2024 lineup.

Its “Blood Free,” “Unmasked,” “The Tyrant” and “Gangnam B-Side” land in addition to a third season of “The Zone: Survival Mission” and the previously announced “Uncle Samsik” and “Light Shop” from webtoon pioneer and creator of the platform’s 2023 series hit “Moving.”

“Blood Free,” which is to star Ju Jihoon (“Kingdom”) and Han Hyojoo (“Moving”), follows a former bodyguard haunted by the failures of his past. He finds himself recruited to protect the CEO of a controversial lab-grown meat company who is also a survivor of the fateful attack that changed his life.

Set in modern-day Seoul, “Unmasked” follows a group of investigative journalists who are fighting for their careers after broadcasting a controversial story. With time running out, the team are given an impossible task if they want to save their jobs – solve a twenty-year-old cold...

Disney+ has unveiled a slate of Korean originals, as the streaming platform opts for a more targeted strategy in Asia.

Bolstered by successful Korean tentpoles last year like Moving and Big Bet, the streamer has ordered seven new titles to premiere in 2024, in addition to previously-announced shows including Light Shop, from Moving creator Kangfull, and Uncle Samsik, starring Parasite actor Song Kang-ho.

One of the biggest titles in the Disney+ announcement is Blood Free, which stars Ju Jihoon (Kingdom) and Han Hyojoo (Moving). It follows a former bodyguard haunted by the failures of his past. After following several leads, he finds himself recruited to protect the CEO of a controversial lab-grown meat company, who is also a survivor of the fateful attack that changed his life.

Unmasked stars Kim Hyesoo and is set in modern-day Seoul. The series follows a team of investigative journalists who are fighting for their careers after broadcasting a controversial story.

Disney+ is steadily boosting its output of high-end Korean drama. The streaming service on Monday revealed a growing slate of star-driven Korean originals for 2024, building on the momentum achieved last year with the critical and commercial popularity of hit shows like Moving and Big Bet.

Newly announced titles joining the company’s Korean slate include thriller Blood Free, mystery series Unmasked, actioner The Tyrant, crime drama Gangnam B-Side, and a season three renewal of reality show The Zone: Survival Mission. These series add to Disney’s previously announced 2024 tentpole shows Lightshop, created by hit-making webtoon creator turned screenwriter Kang Full, and period drama Uncle Samsik, starring Korean film icon Song Kang-ho (Parasite) in a rare TV series role. Disney says more Korean titles will join its slate throughout the year. (Summaries of the Korean shows unveiled so far are below.)

“The new Korean originals announced today really builds on the...

South Korea’s Acemaker movieworks has closed a string of deals on upcoming crime drama Troll Factory with distributors throughout Asia.

The film has been acquired for Japan (Klockworx), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan and Southeast Asia (RelayMotion), India (Premiere9), Mongolia (Filmbridge), Cis (Paradise Group) and inflight (Vitality).

Directed by Ahn Gooc-jin (Alice In Earnestland), the film stars Son Sukku from Disney+ series Big Bet, box office action hit The Roundup and recent Netflix series A Killer Paradox. The cast also includes Kim Sung-Cheol, who will next be seen in Netflix series Hellbound, Kim Dong-Hwi and Hong Kyung.

Son plays a reporter who,...

Acemaker Movieworks, the young Korean studio behind 2023 hit “Noryang: Deadly Sea” and “A Man of Reason,” is using the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market to launch crime drama “Troll Factory,” its next big budget movie.

Film’s plot revolves around an investigative journalist who, while probing a story about the manipulation of public sentiment, uncovers the existence of a so-called “troll factory” and is confronted with an unbelievable truth.

The movie is in post-production and recently set March 27 for its theatrical release in Korea. Acemaker is unveiling first images now.

The movie is directed by Ahn Gooc-jin, whose debut feature, 2015 crime film “Alice in Earnestland,” won the Grand Prize at the leading Korean film festival in Jeonju, the best new talent award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and the Directors’ Cut award at the Director’s Cut Film Festival. It was also invited to the Stockholm film festival.

Disney Apac’s former content chief Jessica Kam-Engle has exited to launch a Banijay Asia venture in Southeast Asia.

The veteran exec has been named EVP & Business Head of CreAsia Studio, which will sit within Banijay Asia and focus on creating local originals and producing adaptations of Banijay formats.

Kam-Engle will report to Dhar, and is responsible for driving business strategy and growth in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.

The producer and studio exec is known for runs at HBO Asia, Warner Media Entertainment Networks, MTV Networks/Viacom, MGM Gold Network, Dow Jones Newswires, and Celestial Pictures.

Most recently, she was Head of Content and Development for Disney+ in Apac, during which time she commissioned more than 60 original series such as Korean dramas Moving, Big Bet and Connect; Japanese live action Gannibal; and Chinese-language series Taiwan Crime Stories and Delicacies Destiny. She left the business last year.

Following what happened in the US during the last decade or so, the quality of Asian dramas has skyrocketed during the last few years, with a significant surge of talent from cinema towards streaming platforms, with Korea definitely paving the way in the regard, and Japan following. The result is quite impressive to watch, since, frequently, the level of these titles is equal to the one of movies.

Without further ado, here are 20 Asian dramas in random order proving the fact in the most eloquent fashion.

1. Cigarette Girl by Kamila Andini

“Cigarette Girl” is not a typical story of two broken hearts crushed by unfortunate circumstances, a trope over-used in the soap opera format. It also has a bit of history to offer alongside a basic insight into the women's hardships in Indonesia not such long time ago. “Your duty is to clean the house and find yourself a husband...

Choi Min-sik, the veteran Korean actor who previously starred in “Oldboy” and Korea’s all-time box office record breaker “Roaring Currents,” heads the cast of upcoming mystery-thriller film “Exhuma.” The title, which will debut in Korean theaters in February, also released its first-look images and an atmospheric trailer.

Choi appears as an exorcist who unleashes unexpected supernatural forces.

According to a synopsis supplied by Showbox, “A wealthy family living in Los Angeles calls on a pair of young shaman, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun, to save their newborn child after they are visited by a series of paranormal events. [The shaman duo] senses that the dark shadow of an ancestor has latched on the family, a so-called ‘Grave’s Calling’. In order to exhume the grave and relieve the ancestor, they seek help from a leading geomancer, portrayed by Choi, and a mortician (portrayed by Yoo Hai-jin). To their dismay, the...

Hulu announced today that Moving, which became the most-watched Korean original on the streamer and Disney+ globally earlier this summer, will be available in English in December.

The 20-episode series that’s an adaptation of Kang Full’s popular webtoon started streaming Aug. 9.

Starring Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo and Zo Insung, Moving tells the story of a group of South Korean spies working to protect their super-powered children from harm and exploitation at the hands of malicious government agencies. Initially recruited because of their extraordinary abilities including flight, instant healing and enhanced senses, the spies disappeared without a trace after being tasked with carrying out increasingly dubious missions. Now with their children exhibiting similar abilities and a dangerous assassin rapidly picking off super-powered individuals, the parents must leave their peaceful lives behind to become the “monsters” they once were.

Earlier this month at the Busan International Film Festival awards Moving...

Kim Seong-hun and Ha Jung-woo, the director-actor combo who gave us Tunnel, reunite for the second time on the winning buddy action-comedy Ransomed, the latest in a series of high-profile films based on recent real-life stories featuring Korean characters gallivanting in third world countries. This very specific subgenre, which also includes Ryoo Seung-wan's Escape from Mogadishu, The Point Men and the Netflix series Narco-Saints, also with Ha, popped out of nowhere when all these projects were announced in late 2019. Later joining the cadre was the Choi Min-shik led Disney+ series Big Bet. Ha plays Korean diplomat Lee Min-jun in the 1980s, who volunteers to engage in a daring plot to retrieve a fellow Korean diplomat, kidnapped in Lebanon 18 months earlier but yet to...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Disney appears to be having a Squid Game moment.

The star-studded Korean spy series Moving has become Disney+ and Hulu’s most-watched K-drama ever — in the U.S. and globally — within just seven days of release. The show launched on Disney’s streaming services on Aug. 9 and has become the company’s most popular series in any language, based on hours streamed, across the Asia Pacific region, including in Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. That means viewers in Asia have already watched Moving more than Disney’s core franchise series like The Mandalorian. (Disney declined to share more precise viewership data.)

“The global consumer response towards the first 11 episodes of Moving has exceeded our expectations,” said Carol Choi, Disney’s executive vp of original content strategy in Apac. “From the U.S. to all across Apac, it is fast becoming a breakout hit with its captivating storyline,...

Disney+ has announced that Moving, an adaptation of Kang Full’s popular webtoon, has become the most-watched Korean original on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the U.S. based on hours streamed after its first seven days.

The 20-episode series, which started streaming on August 9, has also become the most watched series on Disney+ across the Asia Pacific region and the biggest premiere on Disney+ in Korea to date.

Produced by Studio&New, the series stars Ryu Seungryong (Extreme Job), Han Hyojoo (The Beauty Inside) and Zo Insung (Escape From Mogadishu) in the story of three teenagers who have inherited unusual physical powers from their secret agent parents.

While on the surface they look like ordinary high school kids, each has the power to transcend a different physical limitation, but with outside forces keen to exploit these talents, their parents know it’s safer to keep them hidden away.

“The global...

Disney+ has scored the next breakout hit from Asia after “Squid Game.”

Star-studded international espionage series “Moving” has become the most watched Korean original on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the U.S., based on hours streamed after seven days.

In its first week since launch on Aug. 9, the series also became the most watched series on Disney+ across Asia Pacific, including in Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan – based on hours watched – and the biggest premiere on Disney+ in Korea to date, based on hours streamed in the first week since launch. “Moving” launched globally on Disney+ in 65 markets and countries and Hulu in the U.S.

Featuring stars who are household names in Korea, including Ryu Seung-ryong (“Life is Beautiful”), Han Hyo-joo (“20th Century Girl”) and Zo In-sung (“Smugglers”), “Moving” is based on Kang Full’s hit webtoon. It tells the story of a group of...

Disney+ has announced a slate of Asia originals for the second half of 2023, including Korean dramas Moving and The Worst Of Evil and the latest project in its collaboration with Hybe, BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star.

The packed slate of originals also includes Japanese anime Tokyo Revengers: Teknik Arc, part of Disney’s collaboration with publishing house Kodansha, and hybrid live-action and anime series Dragons Of Wonderhatch.

Set to premiere on August 9, Korean drama Moving is based on Kangfull’s webtoon about a group of superpowered individuals on the run from government forces and a mysterious assassin. Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo and Zo Insung head the cast.

Ji Changwook, Squid Game actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi star in crime drama The Worst Of Evil, set in 1990s Seoul, where a rural police officer is recruited to help bring down a trafficking gang pushing a potent new drug.

Docu-series BTS...

Disney+ is preparing to launch its largest slate of new originals to date for the growth markets of the Asia-Pacific region, the Walt Disney Co. said Monday.

The lineup, which includes more than 20 new series and films, will roll out across the second half of 2023, with the bulk of the programming coming from Korea and Japan. Highlights include a new documentary about Korean supergroup BTS, several Korean crime thrillers and much-anticipated Japanese anime titles like Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc and Phoenix: Eden17.

Coming at a time of “rationalized” content spending across the industry, Disney’s continued commitment to localized originals for Asia-Pacific underscores the growing popularity of Korean drama and Japanese anime throughout the world, as well as the continued importance of the region as a long-term driver of revenue growth.

Disney tends not to release much data on the viewership of its international originals. But it provided some indicators...

Exclusive: The disappearance of the mysterious figure who created Bitcoin is the subject of a CBC feature documentary.

Searching For Satoshi: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Bitcoin Creator comes from Paul Kemp Productions, with All3Media International producing in association and taking distribution rights. It will premiere on CBC’s doc strand ‘The Passionate Eye’ late this year.

Satoshi Nakamoto is the presumed pseudonym of the secretive inventor of Bitcoin. They launched the cryptocurrency in 2009, which spread like wildfire across the world and transformed the way many people interact with money and currencies. Less than two years after its inception, Nakamoto vanished, seemingly without a trace.

Searching For Satoshi is billed as “a global detective story” told in a cinematic style. The doc will explore clues Nakamoto left and identify five candidates who may be the enigmatic character, two dead and three alive. There will also be expert commentary from authors,...

The next high-profile Korean drama from Disney+, romantic revenge series Red Swan, will star Kim Ha-neul (A Gentleman’s Dignity, On Air) and Jeong Jihun, aka Rain (Ghost Doctor, Ninja Assasin).

The series follows Oh Wansoo (Kim) a woman born into an impoverished family who turned her life around by becoming a world-class golfer – attracting the attention of many, including her future husband, heir to the Hwain Group, Kim Yongguk (Jeong Gyeoun — You Are Too Much, Sooni). Struggling to clear her mother’s debt, Wansoo agreed to marry Yongguk but quickly became unhappy after discovering her husband’s infidelities. For over 10 years, she has stayed with her husband, determined to make it work, but things quickly begin to change on the biggest night of her life. Shortly after arriving in Manila for her debut appearance as a Goodwill Ambassador, Wansoo is caught in the middle of a hail of gunfire, narrowly...

Before shooting began on Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite, the film’s production crew had trouble finding one of the film’s crucial locations: the luxurious home of the wealthy Park family. The chances of finding the right house were slim, but the chances of finding a two-story house with an ideal setting was even slimmer. As a result, the film’s art team created a set — a one-story house that would become the Park’s mansion and the film’s main setting.

Later, artists at Dexter Studios, a Seoul-based visual effects studio, added a second floor to the house using computer graphics based on its blueprints, complete with a staircase and a garden that was digitally created. The streets nearby also were made in 3D and digitally merged with the film. During the four months of preproduction, more than 200 artists at Dexter worked on the project and roughly...

The crime drama is directed by Ahn Gooc-jin of ‘Alice In Earnestland’.

South Korea’s Acemaker movieworks is launching sales ahead of Cannes on Comment Army (working title), an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name.

Directed by Ahn Gooc-jin (Alice In Earnestland), the crime drama stars Son Sukku from the Disney+ series Big Bet and last year’s leading box office title in Korea, The Roundup. The cast also includes Kim Sung-Cheol (The Night Owl), Kim Dong-Hwi (In Our Prime) and Hong Kyung (Netflix’s Dp).

The film follows a reporter who, while investigating an online public sentiment manipulation story,...

One of the leading actors of his generation, Korea’s Choi Min-sik is tackling his first TV role in some 25 years, with Disney+ crime drama series “Big Bet.” Choi says the gamble was a challenge, but ultimately worth the risk.

While he has notched up iconic cinema roles in “Oldboy” “Shiri,” “I Saw the Devil,” Luc Besson’s “Lucy” and all-time Korean box office record holder “Roaring Currents,” Choi’s last significant TV role was in dark comedy “The Moon of Seoul” (aka “Seoul ui Dal”) in the 20th century’s pre-streaming era.

Choi says that the changes in the TV industry are palpable and mostly for the better.

“Dramas are now produced entirely in advance of broadcast. Before, we would have what we call ‘on-the-spot’ scripts. They would be literally written on the day of filming, which left very little time to memorize the lines,” Choi told Variety.

The...

“Big Bet” Season 2 continued from the first season when Moo Sik was arrested for murdering Min Seok Jun. However, Moo Sik manages to get acquitted of the charges and returns to the Philippines to search for the real murderer of Min. In this season, things have changed for Moo Sik, and he’s got more enemies than ever. While he sets out to find Min’s murderer and build his business back up, people are planning for his downfall, and some of them are those he’d trusted the most.

Spoilers Ahead

‘Big Bet’ Season 2: Brief Summary

Cha Moo Sik gets deported to Korea, and he uses his connections to get acquitted of charges for Min Seok Jun’s murder. He is banned from entering the Philippines, and even after using all his connections, it takes him a year to return. His casino business is in shambles, and he...

Disney+ is boosting its growing K-drama slate with Han River Police, an action comedy series starring Kwon Sang-woo (Stairway to Heaven, Curtain Call) and Kim Hee-won (Netflix’s Unlocked).

Kwon will star as Han Dujin, the hot-tempered sergeant of the Han River Police Force who holds back for nobody, while Kim plays Lee Chunseok, a laid-back lieutenant with the exact opposite personality. Stuck together on patrol of Seoul’s Han River, the two officers are faced with emergency situations ranging from terrorism to everyday accidents and other incidents requiring emergency assistance — a premise that suggests all of the action, humor and offbeat crime-solving of the classic buddy cop genre.

Disney hasn’t released additional casting info for the show, but local news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily reports that Shin Hyeon-seung (So Not Worth It), Lee Sang-yi (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) and Bae Da-bin (Gangnam Beauty) will co-star as other cops on the Han River Police force.

A new year brings a new set of series to binge, and Disney+ supplies an extensive list of shows for Canadian viewers to stream this month.

Featured in the new line-up of shows is a documentary about London’s famous Abbey Road Studios, directed by none other than Paul McCartney’s daughter Mary. The documentary will feature big-time musicians like Ringo Starr, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, John Willians and more.

Read More: Disney Is Praised After Introducing First Plus-Size Heroine

Canadian viewers can also look forward to diving into the latest instalment of “Star Wars: Bad Batch” and “Frozen” singer India Menzel’s music documentary.

Check out the dates of this month’s Disney+ releases for Canada below:

Read More: ‘Percy Jackson And The Olympians’: Walker Scobell Narrates Mysterious First Trailer

January 3

“Welcome to Chippendales” – finale (Star)

January 4

“National Treasure: Edge of History” – new episode (Disney)

“Willow” – new episode...

“Squid Game” actor Heo Sung-tae joins veteran Choi Min-sik at the head of upcoming Korean drama series “Big Bet.” The show is set as a Disney+ original production.

The series, previously titled “King of Savvy,” tells the tale of a man who struggles to become a casino mogul but quickly hits rock bottom due to a chain of unfortunate events. Determined not to let life beat him down yet again, the man risks everything he has, including his own life, to get himself back in the game.

Choi is one of Korea’s greatest acting talents with credits including “Oldboy,” “I Saw the Devil,” “New World,” and “Roaring Currents.” “Big Bet” marks his return to television for the first time in 26 years.

Heo previously starred in “Beyond Evil” and achieved international fame last year playing Jang Deok-su in Netflix hit “Squid Game.”

Other players in “Big Bet” include; Sohn Seok-gu,...