Netflix Orders Second Korean Original

SEOUL: Netflix has lined up its second Korean original series, Kingdom, from the production company Astory.

Kingdom is set in Korea’s medieval Joseon period, following as a crown prince is sent on a suicide mission to investigate a mysterious outbreak that leads him to a brutal truth that threatens the kingdom. The series combines two popular genres: historical period drama and zombie action thriller. It is a collaboration from director Kim Seong-hun (Tunnel) and writer Kim Eun-hee (Signal).

All eight episodes of Kingdom will premiere exclusively on Netflix in 2018 to its members in more than 190 countries.

Seong-hun said: “I am thrilled about partnering with an eminent writer like Kim Eun-hee. Kingdom presents the opportunity to work on long-form television at its most ambitious and on a truly cinematic scale because of the unparalleled creative freedom that Netflix as a global internet television network provides.”

Eun-hee added: “I have been working on Kingdom since 2011. I wanted to write a story that reflects the fears and anxiety of modern times but explored through the lens of a romantic fascination of the historical Joseon period. Working with Netflix helps us to unlock this creative vision for Kingdom and I am excited to further build this unique story with the director for whom I have tremendous respect.”

“Kingdom captured our imaginations from the moment we read the script with its visual feast of historical drama blended with supernatural fantasy,” said Erik Barmack, the VP of international originals at Netflix. “We are incredibly honored by this rare opportunity of pairing two premier creative minds in Korea: film director Kim Seong-hun and television writer Kim Eun-hee.”