"I approached it as if filming an entirely new series." (Ji Chang-wook)
The Disney+ original series ‘The Manipulated’, produced by CJ ENM and Studio Dragon, is drawing attention as a successful transmedia case that expanded its worldview from screen to TV.
‘The Manipulated’ is an action drama in which Tae-joong (Ji Chang-wook), who lived an ordinary life, is unfairly swept into a heinous crime and sent to prison, then realizes everything was orchestrated by Yo-han (Do Kyung-soo), and ultimately seeks revenge.
It has been newly reborn as a series based on the worldview of the original movie ‘The Manipulated’, which was released in 2017 and recorded a box office success with 2.51 million viewers. The CJ ENM Movie Business Division, which invested in and distributed the film, participated from the early planning stage, expanding the story’s universe and creating natural continuity between the movie and the series through this transmedia strategy.
Writer Oh Sang-ho, who wrote and planned the original film, personally penned the series to preserve its unique worldview, while enriching the narrative with expanded characters and deeper psychological layers across 12 episodes. As he noted, “The widespread presence of fabrication and manipulation in today’s world still holds a powerful connection to reality,” and the series reflects modern life where one must constantly discern truth from illusion.
Ji Chang-wook, who continued the role from the original movie, said, “I approached it as if filming an entirely new series.” He delivers gripping catharsis by portraying Tae-joong’s emotional transformation, from being unfairly framed to seeking revenge against Yo-han, who manipulated his fate. Alongside him, Do Kyung-soo as the cold strategist Yo-han and Lee Kwang-soo as the VIP client Do-kyung heighten the dramatic tension with powerful performances.
A CJ ENM official shared, “We actively pursued the expansion of the movie's universe into a series, believing that the revenge theme and action genre hold strong global appeal. We are delighted to see the drama receive an enthusiastic response following the film,” adding, “We will continue to develop compelling content through expanded storytelling.”
‘The Manipulated’ ranked 1st on Disney+ Korea’s overall chart on OTT aggregator FlixPatrol as of November 18, and surpassed 1.14 million participants in Naver Open Talk, marking the highest engagement among entertainment programs.
Disney+’s original series ‘The Manipulated’, featuring extreme genre-driven storytelling by Writer Oh Sang-ho of the ‘Taxi Driver’ series, released Episodes 7–8 on November 19 (Wed), and will continue releasing two episodes weekly, totaling 12 episodes.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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