Disney+, which had a hiatus due to actor Kim Soo-hyun's scandal controversy, is now back in action. Director Yoon Jong-bin, known as a box office guarantee for genre films like 'War on Crime' and 'Suriname', has stepped in.
The Disney+ original series 'Nine Puzzle' will start releasing a total of 11 episodes over three weeks beginning on the 21st, engaging with the audience. This comes after a hiatus of over a month since the conclusion of 'Hyperknife' on September 9.
Originally, 'Knock Off', which Kim Soo-hyun was set to star in, was scheduled to air in mid-April, but faced unexpected difficulties, creating a gap in Disney+'s schedule.
Kim Soo-hyun has been embroiled in a scandal involving the late actor Kim Sae-ron. The core issue revolves around whether the deceased had a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun during her minor years. The bereaved family is seeking an official apology from Kim Soo-hyun's side. However, Kim Soo-hyun denies the relationship during her minor years, claiming they only met after she became an adult.
As the conflicting positions of both sides showed no signs of resolution, the 'Knock Off' team had no choice but to postpone the release of Season 1. Additionally, the filming of Season 2 was indefinitely delayed, casting doubt on its release.
In the ongoing battle among OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms like Netflix, Coupang Play, Tving, and Wavve, Disney+ has recorded the lowest monthly user count, struggling to improve its performance. Despite showcasing famous actors and high production costs for large series, it has not been able to achieve significant box office success.
With Kim Soo-hyun, who has fans not only domestically but also internationally, Disney+ aimed to rebound with 'Knock Off', but this scandal has become a painful setback.
In this context, discussions about the penalty fee that Disney+ would propose to Kim Soo-hyun's side have been consistently leaking out. This aspect is also not something Disney+ is pleased about, making it difficult to reach a quick decision. Speculations suggest that the production cost alone is 60 billion won, Kim Soo-hyun's appearance fee is 9 billion won, and the resulting penalty could amount to 180 billion won.
To mitigate the damage caused by Kim Soo-hyun, Disney+ promptly released 'Nine Puzzle', starring Son Seok-koo and Kim Da-mi. They embarked on an experimental approach by releasing as many as six episodes in the first week. This seems to be a strategy to attract viewers and boost box office performance with a slightly altered format.
Director Yoon Jong-bin, who tasted success with 'Suriname' on Netflix, is now focused on 'Nine Puzzle' for Disney+. Expectations are high for what kind of results it will achieve. Director Yoon mentioned that he has pulled all his connections from his 20-year film career and is fully committed to this project.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
