Picture: Netflix
If there’s one thing the Korean film and TV industry is fantastic at producing, then it would be thrillers or, more specifically, thriller horrors. Now, the latest fright fest comes in the form of the Medieval-Thriller Kingdom. The latest Zombie-Thriller series is set to amaze and scare audiences worldwide. As the release isn’t for a couple more months, here’s everything we know on the release date, casting, and the status of a second season.
Over the past few years, Korean films like Train to Busan and The Wailing have frightened audiences everywhere. Very much like the Japanese film industry, the Korean film industry has done an amazing job of finding a niche in the horror genre. With the massive success of zombie TV series like The Walking Dead and Z Nation, it was only a matter of time before someone else threw their hat into the ring and got a piece of the action.
What is the plot of Kingdom?
In the medieval Joseon period of Korea, a crown prince is sent on a suicide mission to investigate the origin of a plague ravishing his country. What he finds ultimately threatens the very existence of the Kingdom as an epidemic of Zombies is on the rise.
Cast
A small list of the cast has been released; unfortunately, we don’t know all the roles of the actors below.
| Role | Actor/Actress | Where have I seen them before? |
|---|---|---|
| Crown Prince Chang | Ju Ji-Hoon | The Spy Gone North, Asure: The City of Madness, Antique |
| Seo-bi | Bae Donna | Cloud Atlas, The Host, Sense8 |
| Jo Hak jo | Ryu Seiung-ryong | War of the Arrows, Miracle in Cell No. 7, All About My Wife |
| TBA | Kim Sang-Ho | City Hunter, Sea Fog, Wonderful Nightmare |
| TBA | Heo Joon-ho | Jumong, Silmido, Illang: The Wolf Brigade |
| TBA | Jeon Seok-ho | Misaeng, Room No. 7, Seon-dal: The Man Who Sells the River |
| TBA | Chu Hun Yub | An Angel’s Choice, Iron Daughters-in-Law, My Princess |
How many episodes are there for season 1?
The first season of Kingdom will have six episodes full of guts, gore, and zombie greatness.
Are there any stills for the show?
It’s been hard to find many stills of the show due to Netflix keeping Kingdom firmly under wraps. We were able to find some photos, as seen below:
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- Zombie Children eating a Woman – Copyright Netflix.
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- Barricading for protection – Copyright Netflix.
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- Royalty – Copyright Netflix.
Does Kingdom have any ties to Train to Busan or Rampant?
While Kingdom may take some level of inspiration for the design of the zombies from Train to Busan, the series, from what we know, has no relation to the film. To clarify, the story of Kingdom isn’t a prequel to the origin of the zombie virus from Train to Busan.
Rampant is also another Joseon period zombie flick. The film is also made by the studio that produced Train to Busan but has no ties to Kingdom.
Trailer
The teaser for Kingdom has been out for a couple of weeks now; we can expect to see a full trailer closer to the release date.
Why Kingdom needs to be a success for Netflix
It may seem an obvious statement to say that Kingdom needs to be a success for Netflix. It’s not that we don’t think it will garner an audience, on the contrary, we think the show will be wildly successful but some controversy has surrounded the production of the show.
At the start of 2018, it had been reported by a Korean news site that a member of staff on the art team for Kingdom had sadly died due to overwork. Obviously, this isn’t the fault of Netflix as this appears to be apart of a massive issue with working hours for broadcasters as a whole. To reiterate, this isn’t the fault of Netflix as it is with the production studio but a show with the title of ‘Netflix Original’; if anything controversial happens during production, this may reflect poorly on Netflix.
Going Overbudget
Kingdom was originally planned to be a limited series of only eight episodes with a 4-month production. Now, the series is being split into two 6 episode seasons, and the production of each episode has cost roughly $1.78 Million. If the size of the audience is large enough, then going over budget will be justified.
When is the release date?
Season one of Kingdom will be premiering worldwide on January 25th, 2019.
Will there be a season 2 of Kingdom?
It’s not very often the second season of a show is commissioned by Netflix before the release of the first but we can confirm that Kingdom will be returning for a second season! Production of season two is scheduled to begin in February 2019.
Are you excited for Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below!
Netflix Synopsis: "While strange rumors about their ill king grip a kingdom, the crown prince becomes their only hope against a mysterious plague overtaking the land."
