David Farnor | On 23, Jun 2018

Netflix has nabbed the writers to hit Korean series Mr. Sunshine.

A 24-episode series from the creators of Descendants of the Sun, the show is based in Shinmiyangyo, or the US expedition to Korea in the late 19th century. It tells the story of a Korean boy born into a family of a house servant running away to board an American warship, later to return to his homeland as a US marine officer. He ironically falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter and discovers the dark scheme to colonise the country that he once ran away from.

Lee Byung-hun, who was Storm Shadow in the G.I. Joe series and Han Cho Bai in Red 2, takes on the role of the US marine officer Eugene Choi, while Kim Tae-ri, who came into the spotlight with The Handmaiden, will play the aristocrat’s daughter, Go Ae-sin. Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, and Byun Yo-han also join the supporting cast.

Written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok, Mr. Sunshine marks the continuing partnership between the duo, who also created international hit Goblin. The series is produced by Hwa&Dam Pictures, one of Korea’s top drama production companies, and Studio Dragon, who teamed up with Hwa&Dam Pictures for Bravo My Life as well as including Goblin.

The series will premiere exclusively on Netflix around the world, with episodes streaming on 7th July, the same day of its Korean broadcast in the US and Asian territories (excluding Korea). The series will then premiere in Japan on 8th July and the rest of the world on 19th July.

The deal marks Netflix’s growing focus on Korean films, TV shows and even stand-up comedy, with a range of titles joining the service in recent months in years, including variety show Busted! and Psychokinesis, the superhero film from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho (read our review here).

“We have seen so much passion for top quality Korean stories and the pedigree of a title like Mr. Sunshine is a significant step forward in building a strong Korean content library for our members around the world,” says Rob Roy, Vice President of Content – Asia.

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