Director
Yoon Sung-hyun, Park Jeong-min, and Jisoo gathered at a local press conference
in Seoul to discuss their upcoming series Newtopia.
The series centres on Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min),
who is serving his compulsory military service, and his girlfriend Kang
Young-joo (Jisoo), as they race to be reunited in zombie-infested Seoul.
There’s so much to look forward to with action, romance, comedy, and more. Newtopia will be available on Prime
Video in the Philippines and more than 240 countries and territories worldwide
on February 7. Before then, check out why you have to watch below.
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| Yoon Sung-hyun, Jisoo, Park Jeong-min |
The talent behind this series is incredible.
Park Jeong-min is an award-winning actor who has impeccable acting range. He is
known for his impressive acting in films
like Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet and
Deliver Us from Evil. Jisoo is loved
worldwide for being an actor, a solo artist, and a member of the girl group
Blackpink. Furthermore, Director Yoon Sung-hyun is known for his acclaimed
debut film Bleak Night and Time to Hunt. There’s also a lot of love
between them with Park Jeong-min having collaborated with Yoon Sung-hyun many
times. The actor said, “I debuted through Director Yoon Sang-hyun’s film Bleak Night and he’s one of the people
I'm most thankful to, so there’s no reason to decline if he offers me a role. I
have appeared in all of his works but I was never the main character before,
but this time I am so I was very thankful.” Park Jeong-min also shared about
being a fan of Blackpink and being so excited to work with Jisoo again after
appearing in a cameo with her for the film Dr.
Cheon and Lost Talisman. Jisoo also echoed these sentiments saying, “When I
heard about Park Jeong-min being cast for Newtopia
as well, I said it would be such an honor to work with him as well as Director
Yoon Sung-hyun.”
2.
The K-Zombies
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| Jisoo |
You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t
seen or heard of any Korean zombie films or series. There are numerous zombie
flicks that made waves all over the world from Train to Busan to the Kingdom
series and All of Us Are Dead. K-zombies
are well loved and for good reason as the zombies are utilized in a way that
emphasizes characters and relationships that resonate globally. Director Yoon
Sung-hyun shared, “I have always liked zombie films and series. I have wanted
to do a zombie project for a very long time. When I read the script, it was so
fun and I was immediately hooked.” He mentioned the series would feature zombie
comedy and you can see unique items being used as weapons for fighting against
zombies, He said, “Since I like zombie works so much, I had thought of various
props that could be used to help prevent getting bitten like an umbrella and
American football uniforms.” Jisoo also commented on how the zombies of Newtopia look a bit different from the
typical zombies we have seen thus far. Be sure to watch and see the zombies for
yourself!
3. The Fun Action
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| Im Seong-jae, Park Jeong-min |
As typical of any good zombie series, there
will be a lot of action to look forward to. Both actors talked about their
efforts and preparations they put into their action scenes. Jisoo said, “Before
I went to a stunt academy, I wasn’t able to even tumble forward. After training
there, I can tumble forward five times in a row. It became so fun that I looked
forward to doing it every time I went to the stunt academy. The training helped
me film safely and well.” Park Jeong-min shared that due to having to continuously
run with the military boots during filming led him to develop plantar
fasciitis, but stressed that he is alright now and had a great time filming. He
complimented his co-star saying, “I respected Jisoo because she was smiling
even though the zombie filming was very difficult and it was such a hot
summer.” Jisoo commented that “Filming wasn’t extremely difficult for me. The
one thing that was difficult was that the season changed but our clothes
didn’t. While it became hot, we had to keep wearing our warmer clothing.”
Director Yoon Sung-Hyun also praised Jisoo’s stamina saying she has the best
stamina thus far amongst the people he’s worked with.
4. It’s Not Your Typical Zombie Flick
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| Jisoo, Park Jeong-min |
Newtopia
will feature some of the things we love most about
zombie shows, but the series will also feature some differences that will set
itself apart. Jisoo said, “I’ve watched a lot of zombie works, but there were a
lot of colorful elements in Newtopia
so I thought it would be a unique zombie project.” Director Yoon Sung-hyun
explained, “When I first read the script, the most important thing was that
something sets it apart from other zombie works because there have been so many
of them. This is what I focused on the most. The characters were also very
unique. Their distinct characteristics were great.” He further shared that Newtopia will be “a bit more similar to
the traditional zombie works of the 70s and 80s” which were more humorous
compared to the zombie titles seen after the 2000s. Yoon Sung-hyun also
discussed how the music for the series will be interesting. He shared, “At
first I thought of using electronic music for the main score but after filming
and during the editing process, I thought that animation music would be more
suitable. I worked with the music director and we were able to select music
that is cute and cartoon-like.”
5. The Love Story
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| Park Jeong-min, Jisoo |
At the center of the series is a relatable
romance between a conscripted soldier and his girlfriend who has entered the
workforce earlier than him. Park Jeong-min disclosed, “Young-joo gets a job
before him, and Jae-yoon feels like he should let Young-joo go for her sake.”
Director Yoon Sung-hyun added, “Jae-yoon has a lot of worries about work,
dating, marriage, etc. With the zombie outbreak, these concerns become
meaningless. With the new world, there’s a bit of irony as it’s a new world
full of zombies, but there’s also a new hope within it.” Jisoo’s character
Young-joo is nicknamed the goddess of the engineering department during her
college days. However, after getting a job she finds it more and more difficult
to wait for her boyfriend who is fulfilling his military service. She suggests
that they take a break, but comes to regret this after the zombie outbreak
takes place. Jisoo shared, “Through this disaster, Young-joo realizes her deep
love for her boyfriend Jae-yoon.” Watch how their love story expands as they
fight through zombies to be reunited.
Enjoy the action, romance, and comedy with
weekly episodes from Friday, February 7 through March 21. Don’t forget to watch
Newtopia, only on Prime Video!
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