'The Remarried Empress': Why Western-style settings were chosen — "We anticipated the reactions… We had the courage to stay true to the source material" [31st BIFF]

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Director Jo Su-won of 'The Remarried Empress' revealed why he chose Western-style costumes and settings.

On the 9th, a GV (Guest Visit) for the Disney+ series 'The Remarried Empress' was held at Lotte Cinema in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Director Jo Su-won and actors Shin Min-a, Joo Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk, and Lee Se-young attended the event.

'The Remarried Empress' is a romantic fantasy epic drama about 'Navi' (played by Shin Min-a), the perfect empress of the Dongdae Empire, who is notified of a divorce by Emperor 'Sovesh' (played by Joo Ji-hoon) after he falls for the runaway slave 'Rasta' (played by Lee Se-young). In response to this, she accepts the divorce but demands approval for her remarriage to Prince 'Heinrey' (played by Lee Jong-suk) of the Western Kingdom.

On this day, Director Jo Su-won shared his thoughts on presenting the work, stating, "There may be awkward or cringeworthy moments, but I think it would be good if we can gradually overcome them." He added, "As you will see after watching, I was actually a bit afraid of the original fans. How to persuade them was my biggest concern."

He also explained the reason for implementing Western-style costumes and settings in 'The Remarried Empress'. Director Jo began by saying, "Some viewers might wonder, 'Why are the costumes and settings Western-style?'"

He stated, "When I first received the proposal for this work, the fandom of the original material was very solid, and many people loved the source material, so I wanted to keep the names Navi, Sovesh, Heinrey, and Rasta as they were." He added, "That was the biggest reason."

He continued, "While there were difficulties in realizing various spaces and fantasy elements, I had a desire to properly express a space and worldview where the name 'Navi' could be called naturally."

Director Jo emphasized that this choice required no small amount of courage. He said, "Looking at the comments, there are reactions comparing it to other works, and I anticipated and considered those aspects as well." He added, "The actors also showed courage in overcoming such points."

He then added, "I hope these small acts of courage will carry through to the end of the work and lead to a good conclusion." He further stated, "Personally, I think this worldview and concept suit Disney+ very well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original