Newtopia

Newtopia
Promotional poster
Hangul
뉴토피아
RRNyutopia
MRNyut'op'ia
Genre
Based onInfluenza
by Han Sang-woon
Written by
Directed byYoon Sung-hyun
Starring
Music byPrimary[2]
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes8
Production
Running time50–60 minutes
Production companies
  • Bound Entertainment
  • Billions Plus
Original release
NetworkCoupang Play
ReleaseFebruary 7 (2025-02-07) –
March 21, 2025 (2025-03-21)

Newtopia (Korean: 뉴토피아) is a 2025 South Korean romantic fantasy zombie comedy television series starring Park Jeong-min and Jisoo. It aired on Coupang Play From February 7, to March 21, 2025, at 20:00 (KST) and is also available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in selected regions. The series received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its stylish mise-en-scène but criticized the lack of narrative tension, a "lazy" script, and the lead performances' perceived lack of range and realism.

Synopsis

A couple who have recently broken up attempt to reunite following the emergence of a zombie outbreak that overtakes South Korea.

Cast

Production

Development

Newtopia series was directed by Yoon Sung-hyun, who directed Bleak Night (2010) and Time to Hunt (2020), and the script was co-written by Han Jin-won, who wrote Parasite (2019), and Ji Ho-jin, who wrote A Shop for Killers (2024).[12] It was produced by Bound Entertainment and Billions Plus. It is based on the novel Influenza by author Han Sang-woon.[13] The production of Newtopia was confirmed on August 7, 2024.[14]

Casting

In 2023, Jisoo, Park Jeong-min, and Kim Jun-han were reportedly considering to appear, respectively.[15][16][17] On April 8, 2024, Hong Seo-hee was reportedly confirmed to appear.[18] On August 1, Coupang Play confirmed the casting for Park and Jisoo.[19]

Release

In December 2024, the series premiered on Coupang Play on February 7, 2025, and was also be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in around 240 regions.[20][21]

Reception

For the South China Morning Post, Pierce Conran gave the series 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "Newtopia is nowhere near as sharp as previous high points of this Korean subgenre – which include the film Train to Busan and previous series Kingdom and Happiness. The mise-en-scène is stylish and a colourful array of zombies, not to mention methods to dispatch them, litter the screen. It is in other areas where the show struggles, namely in tone and narrative. [...] For all its slick and stylised mayhem, Newtopia does not possess one iota of tension."[22] Sarah Musnicky of But Why Tho? rated it a 5.5 out of 10, in particular criticising the character of Young-joo, who she called the "weakest link" in the show: "[She] doesn't come across as a fully developed character. In fact, the character aligns more with the damsel-in-distress archetype for the bulk of Newtopia, and a lot of the time, all she does is cry. [...] Jisoo's range is limited, as is her chemistry. [...] By the time Newtopia ends, this couple never hits that level of believability necessary to make this a successful rom-com."[23]

Domestically, the critical response mirrored these concerns, with an additional focus on the production's social timing. Park Jung-sun of JTBC Ent News described the series as an "accidental controversial work," noting that the depiction of a zombie outbreak in Seoul alongside martial law and aviation disasters evoked a sense of "fatigue and discomfort" by mirroring contemporary social anxieties. While Park praised the chemistry between the lead actors, he questioned the production's approach, arguing that it often prioritized "unpleasantness over genre-based excitement."[24] Similarly, Lee Da-won of Sports Kyunghyang offered a severe assessment, labeling the show "unpleasant" and criticizing the script as "lazy" for relying on "convenient" narrative choices for character survival.[25] In a subsequent review, Lee argued that Jisoo's portrayal lacked the "sense of reality" required for the survival genre, describing her performance as "flat" and "excessively polished," which ultimately hindered the show's immersion.[26]

Accolades

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Asian Television Awards 2025 Best Drama Series (OTT) Newtopia Nominated [27]
Best Scriptwriting Han Jin-won Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role Park Jeong-min Nominated
Best Production Design (Drama) Newtopia Nominated
Best Theme Song Rebirth Nominated
ContentAsia Awards 2025 Best Male Lead in a TV Programme/Series Made in Asia Park Jeong-min Nominated [28]
Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 Outstanding Asian Star (South Korea) Jisoo Won [29]

References

  1. ^ Park, Jin-hai (January 7, 2025). "Coupang Play series 'Newtopia' combines zombies, romance". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  2. ^ @primary0131; (January 7, 2024). 음악감독했습니다 2월7일 쿠팡플레이. [will be released on Coupang Play on February 7, 2025. [ Music Director]] (in Korean). Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Instagram.
  3. ^ a b c Lee, Seung-mi (August 1, 2024). 박정민·블랙핑크 지수, 좀비물 '뉴토피아'로 만난다...내년 공개 [Park Jung-min and Blackpink Jisoo to Meet in Zombie Movie 'Newtopia'... Released Next Year] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Kang, Kyung-hoon (December 12, 2024). 홍서희, 데뷔 이후 첫 좀비물...'뉴토피아'서 파워풀한 연기변신 [Hong Seo-hee, first zombie film since debut...powerful acting transformation in 'Newtopia'] (in Korean). SBS Entertainment News. Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Kim, Soo-jin (December 12, 2024). 배우 탕준상, 쿠팡플레이 시리즈 '뉴토피아' 출연 [Actor Tang Jun-sang to appear in Coupang Play series 'Newtopia'] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Ahn, Yoon-ji (January 9, 2025). 이학주, 블랙핑크 지수 만난다..'뉴토피아' 캐스팅 [Lee Hak-joo meets Blackpink's Jisoo.. Casting for 'Newtopia'] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Kang, Seon-ae (January 7, 2025). "박정민♥블랙핑크 지수, 좀비에 습격당했다"…'뉴토피아', 첫 예고편 공개 ["Park Jung-min ♥ Blackpink Jisoo, attacked by zombies"… 'Newtopia', first trailer released]. Naver. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  8. ^ "'Newtopia' starring Jisoo: Complete episode release schedule". Lifestyle Asia. February 8, 2025.
  9. ^ "Newtopia - Cast (Korean Drama, 2025, 뉴토피아)". HanCinema. February 25, 2025. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  10. ^ "Newtopia finale explained: Did Jisoo and Park Jung Min reunite amid the Zombie chaos?". Times of India. March 22, 2025. Archived from the original on March 4, 2026. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  11. ^ '뉴토피아' 저스틴 하비 "한국어로 연기 할 수 있어 감사, 외국인 배우 위한 역할 더 많아지길" 종영소감 ['Newtopia' Justin Harvey "Thankful for being able to act in Korean, I hope there are more roles for foreign actors" Ending thoughts]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). March 27, 2025.
  12. ^ Lee, Ho-young (August 7, 2024). 블랙핑크 지수 좀비물, 빌리언스플러스가 제작 나서 [공식입장] [Blackpink Jisoo Zombie Movie, Billions Plus to Produce [Official Statement]]. MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024 – via Naver.
  13. ^ Jeong, Da-yeon (August 20, 2024). 바운드엔터테인먼트, 박정민&지수 주연 '뉴토피아' 제작 맡는다 [Bound Entertainment to Produce 'Newtopia' Starring Park Jung-min & Ji Soo] (in Korean). The Korea Economic Daily. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via Naver.
  14. ^ Hong, Jin-hyeok (August 7, 2024). '연인' 된 지수·박정민, 비주얼합 대박...2025년에 본다 ('뉴토피아') [Jisoo and Park Jung-min, who became 'lovers', great visual combination... See you in 2025 ('Newtopia')] (in Korean). TV Report. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024 – via Naver.
  15. ^ Jin, Hyang-hee (August 31, 2023). 블랙핑크 지수 측 "'인플루엔자' 출연 검토 중" [Blackpink Jisoo's Side: "Considering Appearance on 'Influenza'] (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Yoon, Hyun-ji (August 3, 2023). 박정민 측 "'인플루엔자' 출연 확정 NO...검토 중인 작품 중 하나" [공식입장] [Park Jung-min's side: "'Influenza' appearance confirmed NO... One of the works under review" [Official position]] (in Korean). Export News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  17. ^ Park, Soo-in (November 3, 2023). 김준한 측 "'인플루엔자' 긍정검토중" 박정민 지수 만날까[공식입장] [Kim Jun-han's side "Considering 'Influenza' positively" Will Park Jung-min meet Jisoo? [Official position]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  18. ^ Ji-won, Ha (April 8, 2024). 홍서희 '인플루엔자' 출연 확정, 박정민 지수와 호흡 [Hong Seo-hee confirmed to appear in 'Influenza', to work with Park Jung-min and Ji-soo] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  19. ^ Choi, Yu-na (August 1, 2024). 박정민X지수 '뉴토피아' 캐스팅 확정...첫 스틸 공개 [Park Jung-min X Ji-soo Confirmed Casting for 'Newtopia'... First Stills Released] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024 – via Naver.
  20. ^ Lee, Seungmi (December 11, 2024). 박정민·블랙핑크 지수 연인 됐다…'뉴토피아' 내년 2월 7일 공개 [Park Jung-min and Blackpink Jisoo Become a Couple… 'Newtopia' to be Released on February 7th Next Year] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2024 – via Naver.
  21. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (December 11, 2024). "Blackpink Member Jisoo and Park Jeong-min's Korean Zombie Series 'Newtopia' Sets Prime Video Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  22. ^ Conran, Pierce (2025-03-25). "Amazon Prime K-drama Newtopia review: zombie romcom with Blackpink's Jisoo misses the mark". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2025-06-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ^ Musnicky, Sarah (2025-03-23). "'Newtopia' Proves Blackpink's Jisoo Can't Win". But Why Tho?. Archived from the original on 2025-05-03. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  24. ^ Park, Jung-sun (February 12, 2026). "[리뷰] 서울에 좀비·계엄령·비행기 사고…'뉴토피아' 어쩌다보니 문제작". JTBC Ent News (in Korean). Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  25. ^ Lee, Da-won (March 13, 2026). "좀, 비호감 '뉴토피아'[편파적인 씨네리뷰]". Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  26. ^ Lee, Da-won (March 14, 2026). "[리뷰] '뉴토피아' 지수 연기, 몰입감 깨는 현실감 부족". Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  27. ^ "Asian Television Awards 2025 - Nominees & Winner". Asian Television Awards.
  28. ^ "ContentAsia Awards 2025 Nominees Are..." ContentAsia. August 7, 2025. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  29. ^ "[PRESS RELEASE] Announcement for the Winners of SDA 2025". Seoul International Drama Awards. September 16, 2025. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
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