First look images at ‘Kingdom’ spin-off starring ‘My Sassy Girl’ actress
In case you missed the announcement last week, South Korean zombie period drama Kingdom has released first look images of the spin-off episode Kingdom: Ashin of the North.
Netflix has officially wrapped up filming and released teaser photos from the special standalone episode set to air before the third season of the highly-anticipated series.
At the end of Season 2 of the main series, we see a glimpse of a mysterious new character played by Jun Ji-hyun (also known as Gianna Jun), the star of the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl (2001), one of the highest-grossing Korean comedies of all time. The actress, considered one of the most beloved stars in Korea, also starred in the television series My Love from the Star (2013–2014) and Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–2017).
While we’re still waiting to hear news on the third season, it’s good to know that Netflix is dropping Kingdom: Ashin of the North sometime this 2021.
The special episode from the Kingdom universe will focus on the backstory of the mysterious character named Ashin (Jun J-hyun) that Lee Chang (Ju Ji Hoon)’s group encountered on their journey to discover the origins of the infected.
Writer Kim Eun Hee and director Kim Seong Hun gave more details about the spin-off episode in a panel discussion at the See What’s Next Korea virtual event last Thursday (Feb. 25).
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“Ashin is one of the main characters in the Kingdom series,” Kim Eun-hee said. “I thought that it would be more apt to tackle that in the special episode, a spin-off, rather than incorporating that into the regular seasons, just to make it more interesting.”
According to the writer, Ashin is a descendant from a traditional northern tribe that resides north of the river. She is the person who holds the “clue to the mystery of the resurrection plant” and its power to bring the dead back to life as zombies.
Director Kim added that Ashin of the North is “a building block that has been placed on that foundation [in the Kingdom universe].”
Park Byung Eun, who plays the head of the Royal Commandery Min Chi-Rok in Kingdom, will reprise his role in the special bonus episode.
Here’s a short teaser that Netflix Philippines shared late last year.
While no specific release date has been given for the episode’s release, Director Kim Seong-hun confirmed during the press event that Kingdom: Ashin of the North is currently in post-production and is getting ready for a premiere “within the year.”
(Images via Netflix)