Disney has confirmed that Korean webtoon-to-screen adaptation “Low Life” is poised to begin production.
When valuable treasure is discovered off the coast of Korea, the country’s biggest degenerates come crawling out of the woodwork in the hope of striking it big. Word spreads after a fisherman got lucky and kept a piece of the booty for himself. Among those tempted to brave the depths of the ocean are two members of a fractious and disunited crime family – notably an uncle who both looked after his nephew and led him astray.
The original story was a webtoon written by Yoon Tae-ho and first published by Kakao between 2014 and 2015. The literal translation of the Korean title is ‘country bumpkin.’ The story itself was inspired by a real-life event when a 14th century Chinese ship was found in 1975 off the coast of Shinan, South Korea.
The adaptation is penned by Kang Yoon-sung, Ahn Seung-hwan. The series will also be directed by Kang, who previously directed Disney+’s “Big Bet” and “The Outlaws.”
The cast is headed by Ryu Seung Ryong (“Moving,” “Chicken Nugget”), Yang Se-jong (“Doona!” “Temperature of Love”) and Lim so-jung. Other roles go to Kim Eui-sung, Kim Sung-oh, Hong Ki-joon, Jang Kwang, Kim Jong-so, Woo Hyun, Lee Dong-hwi, Jung Yun-ho, Lim Hyung-jun, Lee Sang-jin and Kim Min.
Production is by SLL, Playgram, Four Entertainment, Heungbu Nebak Cine and Yworks Entertainment for Disney. The number of episodes was not disclosed, but the studio says that the completed work will be completed in 2025 and stream exclusively on Disney+ internationally and Hulu in the U.S.
