KOREAN STARS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT DISNEY CONTENT SHOWCASE IN SINGAPORE

KOREAN STARS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT DISNEY CONTENT SHOWCASE IN SINGAPORE | This year’s showcase featured announcements for over a dozen Korean series, including the highly anticipated “Connect” and “Big Bet,” as well as the newly revealed “Call It Love” as part of the Company’s growing slate of APAC Originals

Several of Korea’s biggest entertainment stars and creatives touched down in Singapore today to attend the Disney Content Showcase. Featuring announcements for over 50 titles, including an upcoming slate of movies and series from Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and an expanding collection of APAC Originals for Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar, day one of the showcase delighted Korean drama and K-pop fans with exciting updates for over a dozen shows set to launch on Disney’s streaming service in the next year and beyond.

Hosted at Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands, some of the top talent from Big Bet, Connect, and the newly announced series Call It Love were on stage at the showcase to share details of what audiences can expect from the upcoming series.

With all episodes to launch on Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and Hulu on December 7, Connect stars Jung Haein as Ha Dongsoo - a new type of immortal human known as a “connect”, who is kidnapped by a gang of organ harvesters determined to take his eyes. During the showcase, Korean stars Jung Haein, Ko Kyungpyo, Kim Hyejun and legendary Japanese director Miike Takashi made appearances on stage, sharing their excitement about the upcoming series with over 400 international press and partners in attendance.

Big Bet stars Lee Donghwi and Heo Sungtae, and director Kang Yunsung speak at a press conference at the Disney Content Showcase in Singapore (Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company)

Big Bet stars Lee Donghwi and Heo Sungtae, and director Kang Yunsung also made an appearance to promote this upcoming tale of a man who struggles to become a casino mogul but soon after hits rock bottom due to a chain of unfortunate events. Set to debut on Disney+, 

Disney+ Hotstar and Hulu on December 21, Big Bet also stars legendary Old Boy actor Choi Minsik in his first return to TV in 25 years.

Director Lee Kwangyoung and stars Kim Youngkwang and Lee Sungkyoung rounded out the Korean segment’s surprise appearances to officially announce their Korean drama Call It Love, which is set to launch on Disney+ next year. Centered around the main protagonist, Woojoo, Call It Love follows her on a downward spiral after she discovers her father’s infidelity. Woojoo’s situation goes from bad to worse when her father unexpectedly dies and his mistress kicks her out of the family home, but while she plans her revenge, Woojoo begins to fall in love with a man who turns out to be the son of the woman who ruined her life. 

Call It Love stars Kim Youngkwang and Lee Sungkyoung and director, Lee Kwangyoung, speak at a press conference at the Disney Content Showcase in Singapore. (Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company)

Big Bet, Connect and Call it Love were just a few of the newly announced Korean series updates from today’s content showcase, including:

🎬Moving: Starring Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo and Zo Insung, Moving is based on a popular webtoon by Kang Full and tells the story of three teenagers who discover they’ve inherited unusual powers from their secret agent parents.

🎬The Worst of Evil: Set in 1990s Korea, The Worst of Evil follows an investigative taskforce as their undercover officer, Park Joonmo, infiltrates a new criminal organization responsible for fuelling a drug trafficking triangle. Starring Ji Changwook, Wi Hajun and Lim Semi, production is currently underway on this exciting new crime drama.

🎬The Zone 2: Survival Mission: Following a breakout first season, veteran entertainers Yu Jaesuk, Lee Kwangsoo and Kwon Yuri return to The Zone for a second season of this beloved variety show that will challenge them to survive several everyday disaster scenarios. 

🎬Soundtrack # 2: Music enthusiasts Hyunseo and Suho met as a vocalist and keyboardist in a college band and fell in love, spending almost every day together for six years. However, once they graduated, the pressures of life began to build and the two eventually split. Four years after their breakup, fate brings them back together again, but will they be able to rekindle what they once had?

🎬Shadow Detective Season 2: Directed by Han Donghwa, Lee Sungmin, Gyeong Sujin, and Lee Hakjoo return for another series of Shadow Detective. With the stakes now higher than ever, will Detective Taekrok be able to solve his final case before it’s too late?

🎬RACE: Written by acclaimed screenwriter Kim Roori and starring Lee Yeonhee, Moon Sori, Hong Jonghyun and Chung Yunho, RACE is about a mediocre employee who unleashes her potential after discovering she was hired at her top-tier publicity company for diversity reasons.

🎬SUPER JUNIOR: THE LAST MAN STANDING: On November 6, 2005, a k-pop group, SUPER JUNIOR 05, made their debut. First leaving their mark on Asia, they rapidly grew, becoming SUPER JUNIOR, and amazed audiences across the world. In SUPER JUNIOR: THE LAST MAN STANDING, viewers are taken behind-the-scenes in a one-of-a-kind exploration of SUPER JUNIOR and its members, offering new insights into the modern K-pop industry.

🎬NCT 127 The Lost Boys (Working Title): Documenting this popular Korean boyband on their 2022-2023 World Tour across North America, Korea, Japan and South East Asia, NCT 127 The Lost Boys will follow Mark, Johnny and Yuta in a series that will track the band's growth and success over the years.

🎬j-hope Solo Documentary (Working Title): Following pop star j-hope in the lead-up to his recently released solo album, this upcoming documentary features never-before-seen interviews with j-hope, a behind the scenes look at his solo album preparation process, his 2022 Lollapalooza performance and a unique look at the album’s listening party. 

🎬BTS MONUMENTS: BEYOND THE STAR: An exclusive Disney+ original, this music docu-series will chart the incredible journey of 21st century pop icons BTS. With unprecedented access to a vast library of music and footage over the past nine years, the series will feature the daily lives, thoughts and plans of BTS members, as they prepare for their second chapter.

Announced as part of the Disney Content Showcase, these Korean Originals were also revealed alongside a host of Japanese live action and anime titles and Indonesian dramas as part of the Company’s ambitious plans to greenlight over 50 APAC Originals by 2023. 

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About Disney International Content & Operations:

The Walt Disney Company’s International Content & Operations (IC&O) group is responsible for developing and producing local and regional entertainment and sports programming outside the U.S. for The Walt Disney Company’s streaming services. IC&O was established in January 2022 as the Company’s fourth content creation unit, joining the Studios, General Entertainment, and Sports. In addition to local content development and production, IC&O oversees such regional operations as international linear channels, regional streaming, local ad sales, and local content sales and distribution in Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), India, and Latin America (LATAM).

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