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The mystery thriller Beyond Evil, produced by the global IP powerhouse SLL (formerly known as JTBC Studios), is being remade into a J-drama and will premiere on the Japanese broadcasting channel WOWOW starting July.
Lee Dong Shik (Shin Ha Kyun) is a former detective who carries the weight of a past serial killer case that ended in failure. Now, he does menial tasks at a small police station. Things take an interesting turn when Han Joo Won (Yeo Jin Goo), a privileged young detective, comes into the picture. Despite initial tensions, they join forces when a series of new murders happen bearing eerie resemblances to the unsolved crimes from two decades ago. As they delve deeper, the detectives' secrets and true motivations emerge, driving them to unravel the truth behind these murders.
It is reported that the J-drama will closely follow the plot, including the title, of the Korean original while reflecting Japanese sentiments and character settings in the remake.
Prominent Japanese actors Yasuda Ken and Mizukami Koshi are cast as the leads, with Suzuki Kosuke and Ikezawa Tatsuya directing.
Premiered as a JTBC original, Beyond Evil earned critical acclaim and widespread popularity, winning three awards at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards — Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor. A psychological thriller that delves deeply into the human anxieties and wounds, cherry-topped with the thrill of the detectives' pursuit of truth, Beyond Evil was lauded at the time as "a masterpiece with outstanding direction, acting, script, and music."
An SLL representative stated, "The Japanese remake of Beyond Evil is yet another example that demonstrates the global scalability of story-driven IPs," adding, "Going beyond simple content export, we aim to improve the completeness of the production by closely communicating with local partners as the original IP holder."
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