‘Mr. Sunshine’ has great ambitions, debuted with massive ratings
KIM Eun-sook is one of Korea's most influential drama writers, whose recent hits include 'Descendants of the Sun' and 'Guardian: The Lonely and Great God', and often feature top local stars.
Lee Byung-hun, of Hollywood film 'G.I. Joe', plays a commissioned officer in the US Navy, who moved to the US when he was young after being discriminated against for his family's social status. He comes back to Korea when the country first gets electric power and when people from Japan, China, the US and Russia start to come.
The series is set in Hanseong (the former name of Seoul) in early 1900s, an uncommon setting for a period drama, as most historical dramas and movies deal with stories from the Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1945.
The drama's director Lee Eung-bok said that he wanted to shed light on those who inspired many people to become activists to fight for Korea's independence.
“There aren't many memories of those who fought hard to stop Korea from being ruled by Japan (around) 1905 while there are many pieces that focus on fighting against the Japanese authority.”
“(The struggle) also has some universal elements as many countries are attacked by foreign influences as they go through the process of modernization.”
The show's unique setting required a budget of 43 billion won (US$38.3 million) to create. Since the show's background isn't often used in shows, the production staff needed to make a whole new set as well as research historical artifacts to make the scenes as accurate as possible. The production staff built a nearly 20,000 square-metre (4.94 acre) outdoor film set in Nonsan, South Chungcheong and a 6,600 square-meter indoor set in Daejeon, and filming began in September.
“Period dramas offer a good frame where some philosophical subjects can be discussed as the story uses certain historical background (already) known by many,” said Korean literature professor Yun Seok-jin of Chungnam National University. “Countries in Northeast Asia are going through some (changes) now and if Kim brings up a (meaningful) message through this work, the writer will become recognised as a master (in the global community).”
Although many worry that the drama has invested too much money into its production, it doesn't seem too hard for the production team to at least break even.
The show's production company Studio Dragon made an announcement that it had signed a broadcast licence deal with Netflix last month. The company did not reveal the exact amount but the deal is expected to be worth at least 28 billion won, as the companies are required to make a public announcement when they make a deal that's worth more than 10 per cent of its annual sale from the year before. The company's annual sale last year was about 286.8 billion won. The show airs on Netflix one hour after the original show on tvN ends in Korea and Englishspeaking countries, and a day after in Japan. The show will become available in other regions on July 19.