Zombie shows are still hot. So is Korean cinema. So is a mix of both, if last year’s Train to Busan is anything to go by. But now Netflix is getting in on a show that is all this and more, as it’s actually a medieval-era fantasy series, too.
Image: Last year’s ‘Zombie on a Train’ Korean thriller Train to Busan. Source: Still via Youtube
Netflix has announced that it has joined Kim Seong-hun’s new thriller TV series Kingdom, with plans to bring to its streaming service worldwide in 2018 in partnership with Korean production company Astory. The eight-part series is set during Korea’s Joseon dynasty, an era that covered the 14th to late 19th century, and had a huge impact on Korean culture as it is known today. It follows a young crown prince sent on a suicidal investigation into a bizarre medical outbreak. Turns out said outbreak is a zombie apocalypse, and the prince’s forces have to hold back a threat that could destroy Korea and the wider world itself.
The premise is certainly intriguing — a sort of blend of Games of Thrones-ian historical fantasy with good old Walking Dead zombie horror, through the lens of Korean filmmaking. Between this and Bong Joon-Ho’s upcoming movie Okja, it seems like Netflix is making a big push for Korean genre projects and getting them out there for a much bigger audience to see. If it means we get more cool supernatural fantasy stuff to watch, we’ll be more than happy to see what comes of it.
[Deadline]