Blackpink’s Jisoo Leads Cast of Korean Zombie Series "Newtopia"

Jisoo, a member of South Korean K-pop music sensation Blackpink, is leading the cast of the upcoming zombie thriller series “Newtopia.”

The series, hatched by local streaming service Coupang Play, follows two lovers navigating a zombie-infested Seoul. 

The man, portrayed by Park Jung-min, initially encounters a zombie outbreak during his mandatory military service. His partner, played by Jisoo (real name Kim Ji-soo), is an engineer with a new job who is waiting for his release.  

The duo navigates the city and fights off zombies as they try to reunite.

Coupang Play, the online branch of Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, said that the series is co-scripted by Han Jin-won, who co-wrote Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite,” and Ji Ho-jin, who wrote Disney+’s “A Shop for Killers.” 

Principal photography is completed and the completed show, previously titled “Influenza,” is expected to be released sometime in 2025.

The series is the TV directing debut of Yoon Sung-hyun, who is better known for his work on the 2011 film “Bleak Night” and the action thriller “Time to Hunt.”

Jisoo has had multiple cameo roles in Korean TV series and a major role in the 2020 period action-comedy series “Snowdrop.” 

She had a minor role in “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman” and is attached to “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint,” a multi-part film adaptation of a hit webtoon.

Last year, Blackpink renewed their group contract with YG Entertainment, the agency that lifted them to superstar status. However, the four individual band members did not. Rose moved to The Black Label, while the other three established independent labels, and all are now off doing solo projects.