Director Lee Byung-hun took charge of directing and writing the Netflix original series 'Dakgangjeong' and completed filming. 'Dakganjeong' is about the struggle of father Choi Seon-man to get back his daughter Choi Min-ah, who turned into a chicken gangjeong one day, and the man who confesses his unrequited love for her. It is a comic mystery genre and is based on a webtoon of the same name.
Choi Seon-man is played by Ryu Seung-ryong, and Go Go-joong is played by Ahn Jae-hong. Kim Yoo-jung made a special appearance as Choi Min-ah. This is the second collaboration between Ryu Seung-ryong and director Lee Byung-hun, following the movie 'Extreme Job', which attracted 16.26 million viewers. In particular, 'Dakgangjeong' has something strange in common in that 'chicken', which was the main subject of 'Extreme Job', appears once again. Ahn Jae-hong, who was in JTBC's 'Melodious Constitution', also reunites with director Lee, attracting attention. Ryu Seung-ryong and Ahn Jae-hong are both actors who have a high understanding of director Lee's world of work and know how to bring out their unique 'taste of words', raising expectations.
In relation to this, director Lee Byung-hun raised expectations by mentioning 'Dakgangjeong' in a recent interview for the movie 'Dream'. Regarding the process of joining 'Dakgangjeong', he said, "I was introduced to a work like this, so I watched it, and they said they were going to make it into a series," and "'Isn't there anyone who does this?' “I said yes and he said I would do it,” he said. At the same time, Lee Byung-hun's comedy was predicted. He said, “(With a smile) I’m going to see it through to the end, so please watch with anticipation.”
Director Kim Joo-hwan, who directed the films 'Youth Police', 'Lion', and 'Puppy', also directed and wrote the Netflix original series 'Hounds of Dogs'. It is also based on a webtoon of the same name and tells the story of three young people who enter the world of private lending in pursuit of money and become embroiled in a huge power.
Woo Do-hwan played the role of Kim Geon-woo, and Lee Sang-i played the character of Hong Woo-jin. The role of Cha Hyun-joo was played by Kim Sae-ron, and since Kim Sae-ron recently caused controversy on suspicion of drunk driving, some raised the possibility of a complete edit, but as the character has a significant role, it was not revealed at all and the focus was to minimize exposure. Got it.
There is a noticeable trend of talented film directors turning to global OTT channels such as Netflix and Disney+. An official said, "Currently, Korean film production is in a major slump or stagnation. The stage for directors to create is continuously shrinking. Investors' interest in film production has frozen," and "Once there is no money in the film market itself, “It’s because I heard it,” he said.
On the other hand, the OTT market is where money is flowing. As the so-called OTT series became a hit, such as director Hwang Dong-hyuk's global box office success with 'Squid Game', many investors turned their attention to OTT series rather than movies.
In relation to this, another official said, "In the case of Korean dramas, thanks to the existence of a worldwide fan base, experts' analysis is that OTT series with a global distribution network are guaranteed a certain amount of sales and profits." He added, "In this case, production support is good and “A virtuous cycle is achieved in which the actor lineup and the level of completion of the work also increase,” he explained.
However, some voices say that these actions by Korea's talented film directors are not welcome. An official said, "Their roots are Korean movies. With not only Korean movies but also overall domestic media such as dramas facing a major recession, the trend of people flocking to global OTTs does not look good," adding, "If things continue like this, our content production market will become global." “It is only a matter of time before we are reduced to becoming OTT subcontractors,” he said.
Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr