Seoul, Korea – CJ E&M announced on July 1 that it will produce a new three-season drama series entitled The Three Musketeers to air on general entertainment channel tvN. The planned production of three seasons of a drama (to consist of 12 episodes each) before the airing of the first episode marks a first for a Korean broadcaster. Spurring excitement from fans across Asia, the drama reunites scriptwriter Song Jae-jung and director Kim Byung-soo from the hit show Nine: 9 Times Time Travel.
Adopting themes from the classic novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, CJ E&M’s new drama will portray stories from Korea’s ancient 17th century Joseon Dynasty. Jung Yong-hwa, a member of popular K-Pop band CNBLUE, will play the main character d’Artagnan. Actor Lee Jin-wook, who starred in Nine, will play historical crown prince Sohyeon of Joseon embodying the role of Athos, leader of the three musketeers. The drama will also feature ancient guards with Korean names corresponding to Porthos and Aramis. According to Korean history, crown prince Sohyeon went to Qing Dynasty (China) and stayed there for eight years after losing a war in 1936. In its second season, The Three Musketeers also plans to include scenes filmed in China.
CJ E&M and tvN are widely recognised for bringing innovation to the Korean and Asian broadcasting industry. By planning for three seasons of a drama from the outset, the show will feature a truly engrossing and unified storyline that keeps fans hooked from day one to the series finale. The pre-planned drama production strategy will also serve as a new benchmark for the industry.
Song Jae-jung and Kim Byung-soo
Screenwriter Song Jae-jung and director Kim Byung-soo are well known for their previous works Queen & I and Nine. The drama Nine has been sold to 44 countries including the U.S., China, Japan, and Hong Kong, with remakes under consideration in the U.S, China, and Russia. CJ E&M will begin filming The Three Musketeers in July, and start airing the drama on tvN in August on Sunday nights, creating a new time slot for the airing of a drama in the current Korean TV landscape.
