Jisoo, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has been confirmed to lead the cast of upcoming zombie thriller series “Neotopia.”
Produced by local streaming service Coupang Play, the series follows two lovers navigating the zombie-infested city of Seoul. The man, played by Park Jung-min, initially encounters a zombie outbreak while completing his mandatory military service. His girlfriend, played by Ji-soo (real name Kim Ji-soo), is an engineer with a new job awaiting his release. Separately, the duo navigate the city, fighting off zombie attacks as they try to reunite.
Coupang Play, the online arm of Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, said the series is written by Han Jin-won, who co-wrote Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” and Ji Ho-jin, who wrote Disney Plus’ “A Shop for Killers.” Filming has wrapped and the completed series, previously titled “Influenza,” is expected to premiere in 2025 at an unspecified date.
The series is the television debut of director Yoon Sung-hyun, known for his 2011 film “Gloomy Night” and the thriller “Hunting Time”.
Jisoo has had several brief roles in Korean television series and a lead role in the 2020 action comedy series “Snowdrop.” She also had a minor role in “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” and is said to be attached to “Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint,” a multi-part film adaptation of a successful webtoon.
Late last year, BLACKPINK renewed their contract with YG Entertainment, the agency that elevated the group to superstar status. But the four members did not. Rose moved to Black Label, while the other three founded independent companies and are now all working on solo projects.
As an e-commerce company, Coupang offers a strong promise of same-day delivery across a wide range of consumer goods and has managed to keep some of its larger multinational rivals at bay. Its streaming service, which acts as a companion service to regular customers, like Prime Video and parent company Amazon, has had less of an impact on the Korean entertainment market. However, it has made headlines with its local version of “Saturday Night Live” and the TV drama “One Ordinary Day,” a Korean adaptation of the 2008 BBC series “Criminal Justice.”
