R-Rated Historical Drama “Scandal” Confirmed for Netflix Release with Star-Studded Cast
According to Netflix on March 27, production has been confirmed for a new original series tentatively titled “Scandal“, with an impressive cast lineup including Son Ye Jin, Ji Chang Wook and Nana. The project is based on the 2003 film “Untold Scandal“, which, despite being rated R (Restricted to viewers 19+), attracted 3.52 million moviegoers and achieved commercial success.
The original film was a Korean adaptation of the French novel “Les Liaisons dangereuses“, set during the Joseon Dynasty. It portrayed the hypocrisy, intrigue and desires of the upper class in a strict Confucian society. Acclaimed for its intense psychological battles, sensual direction and stunning costumes and sets, the film made headlines at the time for its bold R-rated storytelling.
Netflix’s series “Scandal” will revisit this narrative with a new lens, focusing on forbidden love and desires repressed under the rigid societal rules of the Joseon era. It follows Lady Cho, a talented and ambitious woman constrained by her gender, who engages in a daring romantic wager with Joseon’s greatest seducer, Jo Won. Intertwined in this dangerous game is another woman, Hee Yeon, whose involvement deepens the intrigue. The series promises a delicate exploration of human desire in the conflict between power and hypocrisy, chastity and pleasure not just a love story, but a psychological and moral battlefield.
Son Ye Jin will portray Lady Cho, a woman bound by societal expectations but who emerges as a strategist of the romantic game, boldly initiating the wager and engaging in intense psychological warfare with Jo Won.
Ji Chang Wook takes on the role of Jo Won, the Joseon era’s most notorious playboy. A man who chases pleasure over status, Jo Won joins the risky game with Lady Cho. Though he claims not to believe in love, he slowly begins to penetrate her heart while using any means necessary to win the bet.
Nana plays Hee Yeon, a widow trying to uphold her chastity but finds herself wavering under Jo Won’s advances. She will portray the intricate emotional struggle between restraint and temptation, showing a layered character torn between rejection and unconscious attraction.
The series will be directed by Jung Ji Woo, known for his deep and nuanced work across genres including “Tune in for Love“, “Happy End” and Netflix’s series “Somebody“. Writers Lee Seung Young (The Art of Negotiation) and Ahn Hye Song (Somebody) join the scriptwriting team. Production will be handled by Movie Rock, which previously delivered hits like “Innocent Witness“, “Midnight Runners” and “Tune in for Love“.
“Scandal” aims to break the mold of traditional historical dramas, offering a raw and realistic depiction of human instinctual desire set in the Joseon era. With sensual portrayals and intense psychological tension, the series is poised to go beyond being a mere period piece, instead making its mark as a groundbreaking and provocative historical drama.
