Netflix’s Latest Offering, ‘Kingdom,’ Is A Korean Medieval Zombie Series
Just when you thought the zombie genre could not be more saturated, Netflix has thrown a new offering called Kingdom into the mix — and this one is sure to be like nothing you’ve seen so far.
If you thought the zombie genre was starting to wear thin in regard to original content, Netflix has decided to push the boundaries of the genre by throwing a couple extra elements into the mix. Firstly, their new series, Kingdom, will be a historical drama. Yes, you read that correctly. This zombie series will not be set in the present day, nor will it be at some future date like many in the zombie genres like to do. Instead, this series will be set in the past. It will also be set in Korea, particularly during the medieval Joseon period of Korea’s history.
The synopsis for Netflix’s Kingdom is below.
“A crown prince is sent on a suicide mission to investigate a mysterious outbreak that leads him to a brutal truth that threatens the kingdom.”
The success of the Korean zombie movie Train to Busan might have been a deciding factor for Netflix. Or, alternatively, it might have just been a timely coincidence. But if you recently enjoyed Train to Busan, now might be the time to put Kingdom on your list of zombie series to watch.
The eight-episode series will be produced by prominent Korean drama production company Astory. Kingdom is a collaboration between Korean director Kim Seong-hun (Tunnel), and writer Kim Eun-hee (Signal).
Both Kim Seong-hun and Kim Eun-hee released statements on their involvement in Kingdom via a Netflix press release.
“I am thrilled about partnering with an eminent writer like Kim Eun-hee. Kingdom presents the opportunity to work on long-form television at its most ambitious and on a truly cinematic scale because of the unparalleled creative freedom that Netflix as a global internet television network provides,” said director Kim Seong-hun.
“I wanted to write a story that reflects the fears and anxiety of modern times but explored through the lens of a romantic fascination of the historical Joseon period,” Kingdom writer Kim Eun-hee explained in the press release from Netflix.
While Kingdom may be a new concept to the zombie genre, for one of the show’s creators, Kim Eun-hee, it has been five years in the making, having started his involvement in Kingdom back in 2011.
Netflix also released a statement in regard to their collaboration between Kim Seong-hun and Kim Eun-hee in Kingdom.
“Kingdom captured our imaginations from the moment we read the script with its visual feast of historical drama blended with supernatural fantasy,” said Netflix’s vice president of international originals, Eric Barmack. “We are incredibly honored by this rare opportunity of pairing two premier creative minds in Korea – film director Kim Seong-hun and television writer Kim Eun-hee.”
As Variety explains, Kingdom is the second South Korean series for Netflix. The first original content series from Korea is Love Alarm, which is produced by Jaemoon Lee (also of Signal fame). Love Alarm is based on a popular Korean webtoon series and is about “an unknown developer releasing an app that will tell the user if someone within 10 meters has romantic feelings for them.” This, naturally, leads to a greatly disrupted society. Love Alarm is a 12-part series and will premiere on Netflix in 2018.
As yet, no promotional images have been released by Netflix for Kingdom.
Are you looking forward to the latest zombie offering from Netflix or have you reached peak saturation in regard to zombies? Let us know if you will be tuning in to watch Kingdom by commenting below.
Kingdom is an eight-part series which will premiere exclusively on Netflix to all its members in 2018.
[Featured Image by Arthur Simoes/Getty Images]
