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The Tyrant (Korean: 폭군) is a 2024 South Korean action thriller spy television series directed by Park Hoon-jung, starring Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo, and Jo Yoon-su. The series tells the thrilling story of the race to find a bioweapon that is stolen during a secret handover between Korean and US intelligence agencies. It was released worldwide on Disney+ on August 14, 2024.
| The Tyrant | |
|---|---|
_poster.png) Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 폭군 |
| Hanja | 暴君 |
| Revised Romanization | Pok-gun |
| McCune–Reischauer | P'okkun |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Park Hoon-jung |
| Directed by | Park Hoon-jung |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mowg |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Kim Young-ho |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney+ |
| Release | August 14, 2024 |
The US intelligence agency uncovered a clandestine operation known as The Tyrant Project: the South Korean government's plan to develop a bioweapon that could enhance human abilities. The US demanded the immediate termination of the program and the surrender of all samples. Following the dismantling of the project, the bioweapon sample was supposed to be handed over to the US. However, an unknown assailant disrupted the covert handover.[2][3]
Director Choe, a member of a government agency secretly overseeing The Tyrant Project, instructed his operatives Mo-yong to secure the bioweapon, who tasked Ja-gyeong. Upon hearing about the incident, US intelligence agent Paul resolved to personally retrieve the bioweapon. Lim Sang, a former agent tasked with eliminating individuals linked to The Tyrant Project, also becomes involved in the pursuit.[3][4][5]
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Main
- Cha Seung-won as Lim Sang[4][6]
- A former agent turned hitman tasked with eliminating the forces related to The Tyrant Project.
- Kim Seon-ho as Director Choe[4][6]
- The young director of a South Korean national intelligence agency who has been running The Tyrant Project unofficially.
- Kim Kang-woo as Paul[7]
- A member of the US intelligence agency trying to dispose of the last sample of The Tyrant Project.
- Jo Yoon-su as Chae Ja-gyeong[8][9][10]
- An assassin who has been tasked with stealing the last sample of The Tyrant Project.
Supporting
- Mu Jin-sung as Yeon Mo-yong[11]
- A person who hires technician Ja-kyung to steal samples of the Tyrant Program.[12]
- Kim Joo-hun as Director Sa[11][13]
- Director of the South Korean National Intelligence Agency, the same level as Director Choe. He is a character who clashes and forms an opposing stance with Director Choe.
- Lee Ki-young as First Vice Director[13]
- The first vice-director of the South Korean National Intelligence Agency.
- Park Hyung-soo as Chief Cho[14]
- An employee at National Intelligence Service.
- Choi Jung-woo as Professor Noh[15]
- A professor who participates in the operation of the Tyrant Program together with Director Choe.
- Cha Son-bae as Boss Seong[15]
- A gangster boss who runs a club that put a bounty on Ja-gyeong.
- Justin John Harvey as Crocodile 1[16]
- Paul's enhanced, super-human right hand.
- Paul's enhanced, super-human right hand.
Special appearances
- Jang Young-nam as Madame Kwan[21][22][23]
- A tailor store owner and a source who secretly provides information to Director Choe.
- Lee Sung-min as Ja-gyeong's adoptive father, who is famous assassin in the black market[23]
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The series consist of four episodes that was released simultaneously.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Length (minutes) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Delivery Accident" Transliteration: "Baesong sago" (Korean: 배송 사고) | Park Hoon-jung | Park Hoon-jung | August 14, 2024 | 42 | |
|
A secret project being carried out in South Korea is discovered by an American intelligence agency. An agent Paul was dispatched to South Korea. Director Choe met Mrs. Kwan in an abandoned shopping mall. Moo-young met Chae Jae-gyeong to hire her to steal the sample. As soon as Ja-gyeong finishes the job, Moo-young shoots her and throws her into the river, and delivers the tyrant sample case that he stole to the NIS. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Sweepers" Transliteration: "Cheongso budeul" (Korean: 청소 부들) | Park Hoon-jung | Park Hoon-jung | August 14, 2024 | 37 | |
|
A retired veteran member of the organization, Lim Sang is asked to eliminate not only the Mo-yong who participated in the operation, but also Ja-gyeong. Drector Choe has a conversation with his senior Director Sa at the National Intelligence Service, Director Sa during brunch. He then tells him not to order people around without any specific evidence and leaves. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Pursuers" Transliteration: "Jjonneun jadeul" (Korean: 쫓는 자들) | Park Hoon-jung | Park Hoon-jung | August 14, 2024 | 44 | |
|
Lim Sang interrogates Yeon Mo-yong's lackey in his train hideout, threatening to harm his family if he lies. He then shoots the man dead and proceeds to the apartment mentioned by the lackey. Meanwhile, Paul meets Director Choe in Hangang Park, where they engage in a tense confrontation. Paul then captured Choe and interrogated Choe about the sample, but Choe remains silent. They later intercept Director Sa's car and rescue Yeon Mo-yong, taking him to an abandoned building where Chief Cho, Director's Choe subordinate tries to deciphere the case. However, the sample is not found in the deciphered case. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Tyrant" Transliteration: "Pokgun" (Korean: 폭군) | Park Hoon-jung | Park Hoon-jung | August 14, 2024 | 51 | |
|
Chae Ja-kyung takes down the members of the crime syndicate and engages in a battle with Lim Sang. Despite their skills, they are evenly matched. Lim Sang proposes a truce to pursue their mutual target, Yeon Mo-yong. They locate Paul and his group, but their encounter is interrupted by Crocodile 2, leading to their car crash. Lim Sang saves Chae Ja-kyung by killing Crocodile 2 and discovers that she is infected with the tyrant program. Lim Sang strikes a deal with her to eliminate Yeon Mo-yong. Together, they confront Director Choe, Paul, and Yeon Mo-yong. Lim Sang kills Paul, while Chae Ja-kyung defeats Crocodile 1 with her enhanced abilities. Lim Sang attempts to kill her, but she fights back. Eventually, Chae Ja-kyung disappears with Director Choe's approval. Director Sa and his team arrive, but Lim Sang manages to kill some agents and escape, jumping into the river while still handcuffed. His fate remains unknown as he loses consciousness in the water. Meanwhile, Director Choe engages in a final confrontation with Director Sa. In the epilogue, a young Ja-gyeong, visits Mr. Chae, who had been alone on the radio 15 years ago. It is revealed that they are not biologically related. Ja-gyeong's eyes briefly turn black, indicating her innate witch abilities since childhood. | ||||||
Development
According to Park Hoon-jung, who is the director and writer of The Tyrant, that the series is a story on a larger scale compared to the smaller narrative structures of The Childe (2023). It involves the emergence of multiple nations and highly skilled individuals. It shares a worldview to The Witch franchise,[5] and depict story from the opposite side's perspective. The Tyrant will be a film that has elements of science fiction and fantasy.[24][25][26]
Gooldmoon Pictures together with Studio&NEW and Acemaker Movieworks collaborated on the production of the series.[27][28] The production team includes individuals who have a long-standing working relationship with director Park. Martial arts director Kim Jung-min, who previously worked on 'The Witch' series, cinematographer Kim Young-ho, who collaborated on 'The Witch', 'Night in Paradise', and 'VIP', and music director Mowg joined forces.[29]
Later, Park expressed his thoughts on the release of Disney+'s original series, saying, "I thought Disney+ was the best platform to present The Tyrant because it respects the original expression of the work and shows bold steps."[30]
Casting
On October 19, 2023, S.A.L.T. Entertainment's representative disclosed to the press that Kim Seon-ho was confirmed to star in the film Tyrant.[31] Simultaneously, an industry insider informed the press that Cha Seung-won would play the lead role in the film. YG Entertainment's representative confirmed that Cha had received an offer to appear and was positively considering it.[32] In November 23 of the same year, Kim Kang-woo confirmed his appearance in Tyrant and reunited with director Park Hoon-jung and Kim Seon-ho, after their prior collaboration in The Childe.[33]
Acemaker Movieworks made an announcement on January 9, 2023, confirming the casting of three actors for the film.[34] Kim S. character, Director Choi, undergoes a 180-degree transformation from his previous role as Gwigongja in The Childe.[35] The media has taken notice of Kim S.'s commitment to lose weight for his character in the new movie, which has increased excitement and anticipation for this upcoming role.[36]
Filming
On December 28, 2022, it was reported that the principal photography of The Tyrant would begin in January 2023. Originally the plan was to start filming at the end of December, but it was delayed due to certain circumstances.[37] On January 9, 2023, the film distributor, Acemaker Movieworks, officially announced the start date of filming as January 2, 2023.[34]
Filming took place in Busan from January to February 2023.[38] In February, filming was taking place at Doma-keun market in Daejeon.[39] The remaining filming mostly occurred in Jeju for a duration of four months.[40] The Jeju Indoor Film Studio was one of the locations used for filming thanks to an agreement between the film production company and the Jeju Film and Cultural Industry Promotion Agency. This collaboration allowed the film to benefit from the "Jeju Location Attraction Support Project," which provides incentives, location scouting, and administrative support to encourage local film and drama production companies to choose Jeju as their filming destination.[41]
The series was also selected for the "2023 Chungnam Location Incentive Support Project" by the Chungnam Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency. The support made it possible for The Tyrant's filming crews to film road action scenes in February 2023 with the active cooperation of Buyeo County Office and Gongju Hall Road Division.[42]
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At the end of the year 2023, it was reported that The Tyrant is part of the film distributor Ace Maker Movie Works' 2024 lineup.[43] In early 2024, it was also mentioned as a film to be released that year.[44] The Tyrant has secured pre-sales in various regions and platforms, including Germany (Splendid), Taiwan (MovieCloud), Southeast Asia (Purple Plan), Thailand (Neramitnung Film), CIS (Paradise Group), and in-flight entertainment (Eagle).[45]
A statement from a representative of the series informed the press that The Tyrant was originally created with theater release in mind, but after filming was completed, it was completed as a four-part series during the editing process. The decision to expand it was made to effectively showcase the individual charm of each character and highlight the directorial expertise of Park Hoon-jung. It was announced as part of Disney+ 2024 lineup on February 19[46][47] and is set to premiere worldwide on August 14, 2024.[48] Disney+ dropped a trailer for the upcoming series on July 12.[49][50][51]
The Tyrant was revealed to fans in advance through a 'Top Secret Premiere Screening' that was screened at Megabox COEX at 18:50 (KST) on August 9. After the screening, a GV with the main cast of the series including actors Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo, and Jo Yoon-soo was held. On the same day at 19:00 (KST), the 'Tyrant Sample Chasing Competition' fan event held on the 5th floor of the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas.[52]
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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10.[53]
The Tyrant, which released all episodes at 16:00 (KST) on August 14, ranked 1st in the overall rankings on Kinolights, a domestic OTT search and recommendation platform, on the same day. The show generated significant discussion among viewers, rising to 1st place overall on Naver Enter Talk. It was ranking 2nd in the overall Disney+ content rankings on FlixPatrol, a content viewing ranking site on OTT platforms around the world, as of August 15.[54][55][56] As reported by Walt Disney Company Korea on August 30, it claimed the top spot as the most-watched content on Disney+ Korea for twelve consecutive days from its release on August 14 until the 25th.[57] It showed off its box office power by maintaining the number 1 spot in Flixpatrol overall ranking of Disney+ Korean content for 24 consecutive days.[58]
It also receives love overseas, It also placed 8th in Hong Kong and 6th in Taiwan just one day after its release.[59][60] In the first week, it ranked first in the Disney+ comprehensive rankings on FlixPatrol for three consecutive days in Hong Kong and in the top 5 for 4 days later. It has also placed in the top five in Taiwan and Singapore during the same period.[54][55][56] Until the 4th week, the movie ranked 5th in Hong Kong and 3rd in Taiwan. In Taiwan, it has achieved remarkable box office success, consistently ranking in the top 5 for 24 consecutive days.[61]
Meanwhile, it also received favorable reviews from viewers. Acemaker Movie Works said, "After the series was unveiled, there was a flood of rave reviews from viewers who finished watching it," and "Viewers shared vivid reviews of the unpredictable chase scenes, the thrilling story, the attractive characters, and the intense action." They added, "Along with the response that it perfectly met the expectations of fans of the 'Witch' series that shares the same worldview, there are already voices petitioning for season 2."[62]
Carmen Chin of the NME gave The Tyrant a four out of five rating and said that, "on the face of it, The Tyrant is a tried and true (if a bit tired) espionage thriller through and through. Yet, creator Park Hoon-jung elevates the material with a striking visual and narrative style, while also managing to surprise with twists that have novel substance and stakes. Everything is executed with impressive precision by someone who clearly loves what they do."[63]
Furthermore, according to the Good Data Corporation,[a] The Tyrant ranked 5th in Good Data OTT Drama Buzzworthiness for the 4th week of August.[65] It secured 3rd place on Kinolights for the week of August 12 to 18[66] and 6th for the 4th week of August (August 19 to 25).[67][68] In the 'Watchapedia HOT 10' released by Watcha, The Tyrant secured first place in the 4th week of August (August 15 to August 21).[69][70] In the following week, from August 22 to 28, it also secured the 6th position.[71]
According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute (KCRI),[b] The Tyrant ranked 8th in the drama brand reputation rankings for September 2024. The institute analyzed 66,719,070 pieces of brand big data from 19 popular dramas between August 8, 2024, and September 8, 2024, to measure consumer brand participation, communication volume, media consumption, brand diffusion, and consumption. A content value analysis algorithm was used for the drama brand reputation analysis. In the case of drama brand reputation, the brand reputation index was analyzed based on participation value, communication value, media value, community value, and viewing value.[73]
The drama's popularity significantly impacted the brand reputation of its main leads. According to a big data analysis by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute (KCRI)[b] for September 2024, which evaluated 68,818,602 brand data points from 50 actors featured in dramas aired between August 10 and September 10. The analysis considered consumer brand participation, media volume, communication volume, and community volume, utilizing a brand reputation algorithm. The actor brand reputation rankings were determined through indices for participation, media, communication, and community. Notably, Kim Seon-ho climbed to seventh place, up from 43rd previous month.[74][75] Cha Seung-won made a fresh entry into the top 30, ranking sixth, while Jo Yoon-su secured the 29th position.[76]
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Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) / work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Park Hoon-jung | Nominated | [77][78] |
| Rising Star of the Year | Jo Yoon-su | Won | [79] | ||
| Best Newcomer Actress | Nominated | [80][81] | |||
| People's Choice Award | Nominated | [82] | |||
| Asia Model Awards | 2024 | New Actress Award | Won | [83] | |
| 29th Consumers' Day KCA Culture and Entertainment Awards | 2024 | Actor of the Year | Cha Seung-won | Won | [84] |
| APAN Star Awards | 2024 | Best Actor in a Short/Web Drama | Kim Seon-ho | Pending | [85] |
| New Actress Award | Jo Yoon-su | Pending |
Listicles
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- Good Data Corporation (굿데이터코퍼레이션은) is an online public opinion analysis service. It analyzes online information and public opinion by field. Provides TV topical broadcasting program, online topic ranking, and quality evaluation of performers and marketing effect analysis. TV topicality survey target dramas that were being aired or scheduled to be broadcast. Unlike the audience rating, which measures only the viewing time for the broadcast time, TV topicality is to diagnose the evaluation by examining, indexing, and analyzing the netizens' reactions that appeared in online news, blogs, communities, Twitter, and videos for one week after each program was broadcast.[64]
- The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute (Director Koo Chang-hwan) analyzes brand big data to determine the amount of change in brand reputation. The brand reputation index is an index that extracts brand big data, analyzes consumer behavior with a reputation analysis algorithm, and classifies it into participation value, communication value, media value, community value, and social value and weights it. Brand reputation big data analysis can measure positive and negative evaluations of a brand, media sources and interest, consumer interest and communication volume, community spread of issues, and response and popularity to content.[72][unreliable source?]
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