‘Business Proposal’ Extends Korean Drama Success on Netflix, Following ‘Squid Game’

Amber Dowling The debut of Netflix’s “Heartstopper” was the talk of Twitter over the weekend, catapulting over the competition and landing in the No. 1 spot on Variety’s Trending TV chart for the week of April 18 to 24.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” Yes Studios’ award-winning historical series, has been picked up by Netflix for multiple territories, including the U.S., U.K., France and Spain. The multi-language series is represented in international markets by Yes Studios, the Tel Aviv-based producer and distributor behind “Fauda,” “Your Honor,” “Shtisel” and “On the Spectrum.”Set in the early-mid 20th century, “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” is adapted from Sarit Yishai-Levi’s bestselling novel of the same name and tells the story of a family set against the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire, The British Mandate and Israel’s War of Independence.Opening in 1917, the show sheds light on Judeo-Spanish traditions and the history of a fledgling country.

Wandavision writer Chuck Hayward is penning comedy Brothers With No Game based on the popular UK YouTube series for Stuart Ford’s AGC Television.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix, France’s Metropolitan and multi-territory distributor Vertice are among companies to have pre-bought Liam Neeson thriller In The Land Of Saints And Sinners, we can reveal.

A Business Proposal director Park Seon-ho has opened up about his thoughts on the series’ global success.In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Park shared his reaction to the immense overseas reception the rom-com series had received, after it retained its position atop Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of most-watched non-English shows for three consecutive weeks.“People around me keep telling me how this blew up through Netflix. I was floored,” he said, before adding that he has received a lot of love from many overseas A Business Proposal fans on social media.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has tapped actress Helena Bonham Carter to narrate a blue-chip natural history series about the secret world of baby animals in the wild.

Canoe fraudster John Darwin is now living a totally different life after faking his own death in 2002.

“Anatomy of a Scandal,” which dropped Friday, he and fellow creator Melissa James Gibson have put together a dark and twisty limited series involving political figures, criminal accusations, and the unique traditions of the justice system on the other side of the pond.Starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend and Naomi Scott, the series follows the lives of Sophie (Miller) and James (Friend) after he, a British politician and member of the upper class, is accused by a former coworker with whom he had an extramarital affair, Olivia (Scott), of sexual assault. Dockery plays Kate Woodcroft, a QC (Queen’s counsel) barrister prosecuting James. Just like “Big Little Lies,” Kelley’s latest series (which is based on the novel from Sarah Vaughan) is complex and full of plot twists.

Dennis Harvey Film CriticEven the smallest feature-length film is a considerable logistical enterprise, so it’s a bit flummoxing how little thought appears to have been put into “Choose or Die.” While there have been worse-crafted, even more routinely formulaic Netflix horror efforts, this one takes the cake for sheer whateverness of barely-there plot, concept, character detailing and so on. If some movies now seem designed to be consumed on phones, this one demands so little attention, for such scant rewards, you could probably watch it while vacuuming or doing yoga without missing anything important.Not that first-time feature director Toby Meakins or his cast do slipshod work.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLee Jung-jae, the lead star of Netflix hit series “Squid Game” will be at the Cannes Film Festival this year with the world premiere of his feature directing debut “Hunt.”The film (aka “Namsun”) will be presented next month in the Cannes festival’s Midnight Screening section. Two other films will receive midnight screenings: “Fumer Fait Tousser,” by Quentin Dupieux and Moonage Daydream,” by Scott Morgen. The bulk of the festival’s Offical Selection was announced Thursday at a press event in Paris.“Hunt” is a 1980s-set Korean-language spy thriller that Lee got caught up in after buying the rights and rewriting the screenplay.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe success of Korean shows “Vincenzo” and “Squid Game” and Japanese anime such as “Attack on Titan” are justifying Netflix’s heavy spending on Asian film and TV content.The streaming giant is forecast to grow its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region by 24% in the current year as subscriber numbers swell by 20%, according to new research, from Singapore based consultancy Media Partners Asia.That optimism stands in contrast to investment sentiment in January when Netflix announced its December quarter and 2021 full year data and a spooked the financial community with a cautious (global) first quarter outlook. Media Partners Asia’ latest note on the company indicates that Netflix could grow APAC revenues by 24% in the current year to December, to $4.1 billion.

Squid Game creator, director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Park Hae-soo joined TV editor Peter White for Deadline’s annual Contenders Television at Paramount Studios to discuss what fans might expect from the upcoming sophomore season of the Korean dystopian drama.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Squid Game actress Jung Ho-yeon is set to star in the upcoming A24 film The Governesses alongside Lily-Rose Depp and others.Jung will appear in the forthcoming film alongside Lily-Rose Depp (2018’s A Faithful Man), who is the daughter of actors Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp, and award-winning Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve (2021’s The Worst Person In The World). The specifics of the trio’s roles have yet to be announced.The Governesses will be the second film Joe Talbot will direct for A24, having made his directorial debut with the studio in 2019 with the critically acclaimed The Last Black Man In San Francisco.The Governesses is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by French writer Anne Seree, which was translated into English for the first time in 2018.

Hours after the initial reports of Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian’s surprise wedding in Las Vegas, her ex, Scott Disick, was spotted walking in Malibu with 27-year-old model Rebecca Donaldson by his side. During the outing, Scott, 38, looked relaxed in his black-and-white plaid shirt, black shorts, and black cap. Rebecca also dressed for mid-Spring weather, donning a pair of cutoff jean shorts, a flowing white blouse, and a pair of sunglasses.

A Business Proposal has retained its position atop Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of most-watched non-English shows as the series draws to a close.According to data from the streaming service, A Business Proposal logged 32.5 million hours viewed for the week of March 28 to April 3. This marks the show’s third consecutive week atop the charts, after topping the list a week before with 30.9 million hours viewed.Notably, these numbers do not reflect the viewership for the show’s last two episodes—which aired on April 4 and 5, respectively.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefProduction has wrapped on the long-gestating “Ajoomma,” a feature film that delves into the fascination that Korean pop culture holds for middle-aged women in Asia. The story, said to be based on the mother of director He Shuming, involves a K-drama-obsessed widow from Singapore who tries to find new purpose in life and instead ends up getting lost in Korea. The script was co-written by He and Kris Ong.

Following the hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” Korean director/creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk has certainly been placed in the spotlight. The director has seemingly already made a deal with the streaming giant to return for a second season as CEO Ted Sandros indicated the series was moving forward during an earnings interview in January.