Netflix Inc., the world’s leading Internet television network, today announced its second Korean original television series – Kingdom. The eight-episode series, produced by a prominent Korean Drama production company, Astory, is set in Korea’s medieval Joseon period where 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.
Kingdom breaks new ground by combining two popular genres in one series: historical period drama and zombie action-thriller. The show is a collaboration between two of Korea’s strongest storytellers – director Kim Seong-hun whose latest success, Tunnel, was a top-five movie in the Korean box office last year; and writer Kim Eun-hee, whose series Signal was one of the top K-dramas in 2016.
“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,†said director Kim Seong-hun.
“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,†said writer Kim Eun-Hee.
“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, VP of international originals, 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.â€
All 8 episodes of Kingdom will premiere exclusively on Netflix in 2018 to its members in over 190 countries.
