Blackpinks Jisoo to Star in Korean Zombie Series Newtopia

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Jisoo, a member of Korean music sensation Blackpink, is confirmed to lead the cast of upcoming zombie thriller series “Newtopia.”

The series, hatched by local streaming service Coupang Play, involves two lovers navigating a zombie-infested Seoul. The man, portrayed by Park Jung-min, initially encounters a zombie outbreak during his mandatory military service. His girlfriend, played by Jisoo (real name Kim Ji-soo) is an engineer with a new job who is waiting for his release. Separately, the pair criss-cross the city and fight off zombie attacks as they try to reunite.

Coupang Play, the online branch of Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, said that the show is co-scripted by Han Jin-won, who co-wrote Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite,” and Ji Ho-jin, who wrote Disney+’s “A Shop for Killers.” Filming is completed and the completed show, previously titled “Influenza,” is expected to release in 2025 at an unspecified date.

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The series is the TV directing debut of Yoon Sung-hyun, who is better-known for his 2011 film “Bleak Night” and the action thriller “Time to Hunt.”

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Jisoo has had multiple cameo roles in Korean TV series and a major role in 2020 period action-comedy series “Snowdrop.” She had a minor role in “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman” and is reported to be attached to “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint,” a multi-part film adaptation of a hit webtoon.

Late last year Blackpink renewed their group contract with YG Entertainment, the agency that lifted them to superstar status. But the four individual band members did not. Rose moved to The Black Label, while the other three established independent labels, and all are now off doing solo projects.

As an e-commerce business, Coupang operates an aggressive same-day delivery promise across a wide range of consumer goods and has managed to keep at bay some of its large multinational competitors. Its streaming service, which plays as a companion service to regular clients, like Prime Video and its parent Amazon, has had a smaller impact in the Korean entertainment market. Nevertheless, it has grabbed headlines with its localized version of “Saturday Night Live” and TV drama “One Ordinary Day,” which is a Korean adaptation of 2008 BBC series “Criminal Justice.” 

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