Disney+

“I Saw the Devil” screenwriter and director of “New World,” Park Hoon-jung has written and directed Korean espionage-revenge-drama series “The Tyrant.” Production is by Goldmoon Pictures.

The four-part miniseries which launches on the Disney+ streaming platform next month (Aug. 14), centers around a cutting-edge virus that is stolen during a secret handover between Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies. Both governments will go to war to recover it.

The show stars: Jo Yoon-su (“True Beauty,” “Juvenile Justice”) as vengeful assassin Chae Jagyeong; Cha Seoung-won (“Our Blues,” “A Korean Odyssey”) as cold-blooded mercenary Lim Sang; Kim Seon-ho (“Start-Up,” “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”) as Director Choe, the leader of the secret Korean project; and Kim Kang-woo (“Le Grand Chef,” “Goodbye Mr. Black”) as U.S. intelligence agent Paul. 

“After years of seeing their country be suppressed by foreign powers, a group of rogue scientists working within the South Korean government begin to a develop a virus that will put their country on a level playing field with the world’s most powerful nations. Referred to as ‘The Tyrant Project,’ the virus holds limitless potential for the advancement of humanity. However, before the project can be finalized, a group of U.S. agents uncover the plan and demand that all samples be handed over. Unwilling to give up his research, the group’s leader hires a black ops team to retrieve his work, but when things go wrong during the attack, parties on both sides will be left scrambling to recover the virus and use it to advance their own ends,” according to a supplied synopsis. 

Disney has invested significantly to bolster its position in the Korean-language TV market. Its other Korean dramas include: “Moving,” about South Korean special agents working to protect their super-powered children from harm and exploitation at the hands of malicious government agencies; “The Worst of Evil,” about an undercover detective who infiltrates a dangerous new gang; and the award-winning series “Big Bet,” starring legendary actor Choi Min-sik as a serial entrepreneur who repeatedly crosses the line to help bolster his burgeoning casino business. 

Written by Patrick Frater

Link: https://variety.com/2024/tv/asia/korea-miniseries-tyrant-disney-1236064530/