Prime Video

‘Squid Game’ Star Lee Jung-jae and ‘The Glory’s’ Lim Ji-yeon to Lead Prime Video Korean Rom-Com ‘Nice to Not Meet You’

by · Variety

Prime Video has greenlit “Nice to Not Meet You,” a Korean romantic comedy series that will pair “Squid Game” lead Lee Jung-jae with “The Glory” standout Lim Ji-yeon.

The project marks a genre shift for Lee Jung-jae, who rose to international fame with his Emmy-winning performance in Netflix’s brutal survival thriller “Squid Game” before expanding into the “Star Wars” universe with “The Acolyte.” Here, he’ll play Lim Hyeon-jun, an actor pigeonholed in detective roles who’s angling for meatier dramatic parts.

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Lim Ji-yeon, known for her critically acclaimed performance in Netflix revenge thriller “The Glory,” takes on Wi Jeong-sin, a political reporter whose beat gets switched to entertainment coverage mid-investigation. The character setup promises fish-out-of-water comedy as the serious journalist clashes with the industry she’s now forced to cover.

Kim Ga-ram, who helmed legal drama “Good Partner” and Netflix’s drama-romance “Nevertheless,” will direct from scripts by Jung Yeo-rang (“Doctor Cha”). The creative team is positioning the series as both an industry satire and romantic comedy, mining humor from the entertainment world’s inner workings.

The casting represents a strategic play by Prime Video to capitalize on the global Korean content boom. Lee Jung-jae’s post-“Squid Game” star power, combined with Lim Ji-yeon’s rising profile, could help the streamer compete with Netflix’s dominance in the K-drama space.

“Nice to Not Meet You” will join Prime Video’s growing slate of Korean originals, alongside titles like “Head Over Heels,” “Good Boy” and anime acquisitions including “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” and “Rurouni Kenshin.”

Prime Video will roll out the series globally across more than 240 countries and territories with weekly episode drops. No premiere date has been announced.