Apple TV+ is moving into Korean-language originals with a series based on a popular webtoon Dr. Brain that will star Parasite’s Lee Sun-Kyun.
The streamer has ordered the sci-fi thriller, which will be written and directed by Kim Jee-Woon, who has directed features including A Tale of Two Sisters and I Saw The Devil.
YG Entertainment, the drama arm of the South Korean entertainment company that looks after K-pop stars Blackpink, unveiled the series in May 2019 and local outlets reported that Apple had picked it up last October.
The series, which is currently in production and is set to launch later this year, comes from YG-owned Studioplex, Bound Entertainment, launched by Snowpiercer producer Samuel Ha, Kakao Entertainment and Dark Circle Pictures.
Dr. Brain follows a brain scientist who is obsessive about figuring out new technologies to access the consciousness and memories of the brain. His life goes sideways when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident, and he uses his skills to access memories from his wife’s brain to piece together the mystery of what actually happened to his family and why.
Kim Jee-Woon serves as executive producer alongside Samuel Yeunju Ha, Ham Jung Yeub, Daniel Han, Joy Jinsoo Lee and Min Young Hong.
It is Apple’s latest international language original following orders for Soo Hugh’s Pachinko and Eugenio Derbez’s Acapulco.
UTA brokered the deal on behalf of Bound Entertainment, which recently signed with the agency to expand its footprint globally.