Han So-hee and Lee Jae-wook’s Dramas Failed, Will Netflix And Disney+ Strive Again With “Blood Free” And “Parasyte”?
As previous works have had below-expectations results, fans expectations for these works are high.
Korean dramas on global streaming services Netflix and Disney+ will return with masterpieces of science fiction.
Disney+ has not been able to make a big hit since the popular drama “Moving” last year. It released a series of noir and crime productions including “The Worst of Evil,” “Vigilante,” “A Shop for Killers” and “The Impossible Heir,” but the response was not explosive. “The Impossible Heir,” starring Lee Jae-wook and Lee Joon-young, which ended on March 3rd, was forgotten amid criticism of the female lead’s poor acting skills.
The situation is the same for Netflix. “Gyeongseong Creature” starring Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, with 70 billion won of production, received harsh criticism for its poor narrative, ostensible characters and unattractive creature. “Chicken Nugget,” which was recently released, also failed to appeal to the public as a B-list comedy.
Against this backdrop, both platforms are trying to rebound with science fiction. Netflix will unveil “Parasyte: The Grey,” which will be released on May 5. “Parasyte: The Grey” is about parasites trying to expand their power by using humans as hosts, a team dedicated to stopping them, and a human being symbiotic with parasites. It is based on a popular Japanese cartoon with the same title. Above all, fans are excited about “Parasyte: The Grey” because it is a new film directed by Yeon Sang-ho, director of “Train To Busan.”
Disney+ is trying to rebound with “Blood Free,” starring once again Han Hyo-joo, who played the main role in “Moving.” “Blood Free,” which will be released on March 10th, is a work in which the head of BF, a biotechnology company that opened a new era of artificial cultured meat in 2025, and a former bodyguard who deliberately approached him, are caught up in mysterious deaths and incidents, chasing the reality behind it. The fact that the work is written by Lee Soo-yeon, who wrote the “Stranger” series, is adding to the public’s expectations.
The production cost of “Blood Free” is 24 billion won for 10 episodes. As it is a drama set in the future, many VFX and CG technologies are mobilized, and the actors such as Joo Ji-hoon, Han Hyo-joo and Lee Hee-jun are included in the lineup.
Netflix and Disney+ works, which performed poorly in the first quarter, are still highly anticipated this year. In particular, Netflix is set to release Season 2 of “Squid Game,” which cost 100 billion won to produce, this year, and Disney+ will showcase a series of major productions of solid lineups, including Song Kang-ho, Kim Hye-soo, and Cha Seung-won.
