Yoon Sung-hyun, the director of Newtopia, a zombie drama from Coupang Play, is confident that the series will attract international viewers who prefer a lighter take on the zombie genre.
Blending humor with horror, Newtopia is an eight-part series that will be available on Coupang Play and globally via Amazon’s Prime Video starting Friday.
The show follows Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), a soldier, and his girlfriend Young-joo (Jisoo), as they navigate a zombie-infested Seoul.
Yoon believes fans of lighter zombie films, like those from George Romero, will find the series nostalgic due to its mix of humor and horror, reminiscent of 1980s zombie movies.
Yoon also shared that the series includes plenty of classic zombie traits, like zombies without eyeballs or missing body parts, which will appeal to fans of traditional zombie stories. He praised Jisoo for her role as Young-joo, noting her humor and skill in handling physically challenging action scenes.
The director also expressed surprise at the parallels between the series and real-life events in Korea, like a plane crash and martial law declaration after a zombie outbreak. These events unfolded after Newtopia was finished, but Yoon emphasized staying true to the script.
He encouraged viewers to focus on the unpredictable choices the characters make throughout the series, adding that the zombies in Newtopia are more like vintage, slow-moving ones, giving the show a fresh vibe.
