“We weren’t aiming for a star-studded cast,” says Kim Heewon about Disney+‘s new spy thriller “Tempest.” “Rather, I believe something truly lucky happened, something that can only be described as a stroke of fortune.”
That fortune brought together Gianna Jun, Gang Dongwon, John Cho, Lee Misook and Park Haejoon for the streamer’s most ambitious Korean original to date, a political conspiracy thriller that launched its first three episodes on Sept. 10. The series follows a former diplomat uncovering an international plot stretching from Seoul to the White House – what executives are calling their “tentpole original of the year.”
In an exclusive interview with Variety, co-directors Kim (“Queen of Tears”) and Heo Myeonghaeng (“The Roundup: Punishment”) break down their collaborative approach to blending intimate character work with large-scale international intrigue.
For Kim Heewon, known for blending romance with social commentary in hits like “Vincenzo,” the key to “Tempest” lay in grounding the high-stakes espionage in emotional truth. “One of the questions director Heo always asks me is, ‘Why is this action necessary?’ or ‘Is this really necessary?’” Kim explains. “His intent is to be cautious of action sequences that are included just for spectacle or purely functional reasons.”
This philosophy shaped their approach throughout production. “I wanted the action to appear at the emotional peak of a scene and to continuously lead into a new emotional turning point, creating a constant cycle,” Kim says. “As the universe of the series expanded, we aimed not to become emotionally distant from the characters but rather to draw closer to them in a more intimate way.”
Heo, whose previous work established him as a master of kinetic action, embraced this character-first approach. “If an action-driven story is like a bold, straight line, then a spy thriller, I would say, is more like a zigzag,” he reflects. “I wanted the events in the story, and the process of resolving them, to be more complex and layered, filled with obstacles and intricacies.”
The series boasts one of the most impressive international lineups in a Korean drama to date. For Kim, the casting philosophy was straightforward: “The actor must be someone the audience wants to see, and someone the staff wants to work with.”
Rather than pursuing a star-studded ensemble for its own sake, Kim emphasizes the organic nature of the final cast. “Because we had such a seasoned group of veteran actors, I didn’t have to force any specific direction in order to maintain a consistent tone,” she says.
The key, Kim explains, was finding the right cadences. “Each episode has its own rhythm, which aligns with the rhythm of the story itself. In some moments, it’s like being in a slow driving mode, while in others, you have to keep your foot on the gas from start to finish.”
Kim’s work with writer Chung Seokyung (“Decision to Leave”) brought a unique literary sensibility to the project. “The writer’s scripts are always vividly descriptive,” Kim notes. “When I receive one of her scripts, it feels like walking through a magnificent art museum – from the ground floor all the way to the top – taking in one vivid scene after another.”
“For this project, I stepped away from the stylistic approaches I’ve used in the past and pursued the most realistic visual language I’ve ever worked with,” she explains. “Since the concept blends both spy thriller and melodrama, I felt that leaning too much into a stylized or artificial mise-en-scène would make the story feel detached from reality.”
Heo shared this commitment to grounded storytelling in his action sequences. “I believe it’s important to maintain a tone and manner that stays true to the overall narrative of the script, while striking the right balance between realism – so that the audience can understand and empathize with the characters as they engage in action – and stylish movements that enhance the characters’ appeal without going over the top,” he says.
The unifying visual metaphor that emerged was the sea. “The story features many different kinds of seas— a lyrical sea where whales might swim, a dark and ominous sea with something lurking beneath the surface, and a sea where violent waves crash only to fall silent again, as if just before a storm,” Kim says. “These many states of the sea metaphorically reflect the emotions of the characters and the world we are confronting.”
“Tempest” represents Disney+’s continued investment in premium Korean originals, building on the success of titles like “Hyper Knife,” “Nine Puzzles” and “A Shop for Killers.” According to Carol Choi, executive VP of original content strategy at The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, the series exemplifies the platform’s creative ambition “to produce a high-quality collection of premium, talent-driven originals from APAC for global audiences.”
“There are several reasons why I’m so excited about ‘Tempest,’ and why it is our most anticipated series this year. It is centered on a gripping narrative as a high-stakes, cross-genre spy romance that masterfully blends action, political intrigue, and romantic drama. Like our most successful global hits, ‘Tempest’ achieves rich cultural specificity while exploring the universal tensions between power and ambition, truth and trust,” Choi adds.
As Korean content continues to find global audiences, “Tempest” positions itself as both a showcase for the country’s storytelling prowess and a template for international collaboration. With its blend of intimate character work and large-scale thriller elements, the series aims to capture what Kim describes as viewers’ journey through the “Chung Seokyung Museum” – hoping that, by the end, they’ll feel a sense of awe: “I can’t believe I came all this way!”
