Kakao Entertainment enjoyed a highly successful first half of the year, with its Netflix series “The WONDERfools” and “Boyfriend on Demand” hitting global home runs with their distinctive narratives. Also building on the recently released suspense drama “Notes from the Last Row,” Kakao Entertainment’s genre-spanning 2026 slate features the upcoming action-comedy “A Bona Fide Killer” and the thriller “Mousetrap,” cementing its status as a global studio.
Notes from the Last Row
Kakao Entertainment’s latest production, “Notes from the Last Row” (Directed by Kim Gyu-tae / Written by Jang Myung-woo,) has been making a splash since its Netflix premiere on June 26. According to FlixPatrol, it entered the top 10 in 32 countries, including Greece, Vietnam, Egypt, and Thailand.
The series centers around Heo Mun-oh (Choi Min-sik,) a grumpy literature professor and failed writer who becomes enamored by the talent of Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook,) a mysterious student who always sits in the back row of his class. Heo offers Lee writing lessons – but as he sinks into the story, their sessions spiral into chaos.
“Notes from the Last Row” is the first Netflix series starring Choi Min-sik, the icon of the award-winning film “Old Boy.” In this new project, the veteran actor creates peerless on-screen chemistry with rising star Choi Hyun-wook, breathing life into characters like no other. Combined with an unpredictable plot and nuanced direction, the series has enthralled viewers worldwide, earning acclaim as a masterpiece that delves deep into the complexities of the human psyche. Each episode’s shocking ending leaves viewers craving more, maintaining a gripping tension until the very last moment.
A Bona Fide Killer
“A Bona Fide Killer” (Directed by Yoon Jong-ho / Written by Kim Eun-hee,) is also hitting the airwaves on MBC, July 31. It is a prime example highlighting the strength of Kakao Entertainment’s IP value chain, where the company adapts its popular story IPs like web novels and webtoons into dramas, illuminating the unique charms of the original works while adding fresh elements tailored for new adaptations.
Based on the popular Kakao webtoon with a cumulative 180 million views, “A Bona Fide Killer” is produced by Kakao Entertainment’s subsidiary, Baram Pictures. It also stars Kong Hyo-jin from Management Soop, also under Kakao Entertainment, as the protagonist, Yu Bona.
The drama follows a working mother with the “most brutal job” in the world, struggling to maintain work-life balance. Kong portrays Yu Bona, a devoted housewife and head of sales at a company, who lives a double life as the legendary sniper “Kingfisher” to eliminate the wicked. Actor Jung Jun-won plays her husband, a caring father working as an investigative newspaper journalist.
More to come
Another synergy-creating title is the Netflix series “Mousetrap,” (Directed by Kim Hong-sun / Written by Lee Jae-gon,) set to premiere in the third quarter of this year. Kakao Entertainment is producing the new series based on the Kakao webtoon “Field Mouse,” starring prominent actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu. It is a chilling thriller about a reclusive novelist, Moon-jae (Ryu,) who forms an unlikely alliance with No-ja (Sul,) a loan shark who once chased him down, to hunt the mysterious, faceless “rat” who stole everything from him.
MBC psychological thriller “The Perfect Lie” (Directed by Jo Young-min / Written by Baek Jae-young), produced by Kakao Entertainment and its subsidiary Cinema Zip, is also in the pipeline. Premiering later this year, it features Yoo Yeon-seok (KINGKONG by STARSHIP) and Seo Hyun-jin (Management SOOP), both under Kakao Entertainment. “The Perfect Lie” depicts a fierce confrontation between a man and a woman who hold opposing claims over the same memory, clashing intensely to uncover the truth.
“Mission: Cross” (Directed and written by Lee Myung-hoon), the Netflix action-comedy film produced by Kakao Entertainment’s subsidiary Sanai Pictures, is also returning with its sequel. It will once again showcasing the witty actions and brilliant chemistry of Hwang Jung-min and Yum Jung-ah.
Source: Press Release
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