[Sports Hankook Reporter Lee Yumin] The empress has been divorced and decided to become the wife of a prince. The Naver webtoon ‘Remarried Empress’, which recorded 2.6 billion global views, has announced its drama adaptation with an exceptionally luxurious cast, exploding expectations.
The global representative of Naver Webtoons, ‘Remarried Empress’, has officially announced its drama production with a star-studded lineup including Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk, and Lee Se-young. This work, which has surpassed 2.6 billion accumulated views worldwide as of December 2024, has already proven its unique popularity as an IP with both a web novel and webtoon. The news of the live-action adaptation is raising high expectations among fandoms both domestically and internationally.
‘Remarried Empress’ is a romance fantasy epic that begins with Emperor Sovieshu of the Eastern Empire notifying Empress Navier of a divorce. Navier calmly accepts the divorce but demands a remarriage with Prince Heinley of the Western Kingdom, taking a bold stand. The story intensifies with the appearance of concubine Rashta, a former runaway slave aiming for the position of empress, intertwining politics and emotion into a passionate narrative.
In this drama adaptation, Shin Min-a is set to portray Empress ‘Navier’, a woman of dignity and intelligence, bringing the portrait of a resolute woman to life. Ju Ji-hoon takes on the role of Emperor ‘Sovieshu’, showcasing the dual charms of an absolute power-holder in a multi-dimensional way. Lee Jong-suk will play Prince ‘Heinley’ of the Western Kingdom, embodying warmth and mystery, while Lee Se-young will portray concubine ‘Rashta’, illustrating faces of ambition and survival simultaneously.
The drama will be directed by Jo Soo-won, known for capturing both emotion and mise-en-scène in works such as ‘I Hear Your Voice’, ‘Pinocchio’, and ‘Thirty But Seventeen’. The script will be penned by Yeo Ji-na and Hyun Chung-yeol, the writers behind OCN’s highest-rated series ‘The Uncanny Counter’. The production will be handled by Studio N, known for presenting substantial IP-based works.
An insider commented, “‘Remarried Empress’ goes beyond simple romance to encompass complex narratives of power, divorce, remarriage, and female independence as its strengths,” and added, “It will set a new standard for genres by finely capturing the worldview and emotional lines.”
Meanwhile, the drama ‘Remarried Empress’ is currently negotiating its broadcasting schedule and is set to begin full-scale production soon. Expectations are high for the evolution of fantasy romance that the unimaginable mise-en-scène, storyline, and actors’ performances will create.