Popular film directors flock to TV, shape new narratives

Park Hoon-jung, director of the upcoming Disney+ series, 'The Tyrant,' speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Seoul's Gangnam District, Monday. Yonhap

The trend of renowned Korean film directors moving to the small screen has surged since the global success of Netflix’s “Squid Game” (2021), directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Filmmakers like Lee Joon-ik, Yoon Jong-bin, and Hur Jin-ho have embraced the extended storytelling format of series, and now more directors are following suit.

Director Park Hoon-jung, renowned for the two-part film “The Witch,” is making his small-screen debut with its spinoff, “The Tyrant.” This upcoming Disney+ original action thriller stars Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo, and 한국을 Jo Yoon-su. The series revolves around a high-stakes race to recover a stolen bioweapon during a secret handover between Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies, marking the neo-noir master’s transition to drama.

Park initially planned to produce “The Tyrant” as a movie, but decided to adapt it into a four-episode drama series instead. At a recent press conference for the drama, he admitted that the transition to the drama format has been challenging.

“It was a challenging but interesting experience as I was not accustomed to the pace of drama production. With the emergence of OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms, I believe it’s a matter of choosing the right medium,” Park said.

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