Director Choo Chang-min Shines a Light on the Stories of the Lower Class with His First OTT Series 'The Murky Stream'

Director Choo Chang-min, known for the film 〈Masquerade〉, has made his debut in directing an online video service (OTT) series. At a production presentation held at a hotel in Gangnam, Seoul on the 23rd, Director Choo stated, "Typically, historical dramas focus on kings or nobles, but when I read the script for 〈The Murky Stream〉, it was a story about the lower class. The story of the river thugs living by the Han River was so appealing that I chose it."

〈The Murky Stream〉 is Director Choo's first series and the first historical drama presented as an original series by Disney+. The work is set against the backdrop of the Gyeonggang (present-day Han River) where money gathers in Joseon, depicting the chaotic entanglement of river thugs who believe that power is law, their backers, and the merchant forces dreaming of a new world.

Rowoon, a singer-turned-actor, takes on the role of the secretive river thug Jang Si-yul, attempting a bold transformation. With a scruffy beard, disheveled hair, a face stained with sweat, dirt, and blood, and clothing that resembles rags, he completely sheds his previous clean and modern image.

Rowoon shared, "Before the makeup, the director said, 'I want to take away your greatest weapon, which is your coolness.' This made me lose my fear of external changes, and I also felt that I wanted to let go even more in the future."

Park Seo-ham, also a singer, plays the righteous officer Jeong Cheon. After gaining attention from the drama 〈Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born〉, he chose 〈The Murky Stream〉 as his first project after completing his military service. He stated, "I practiced swordsmanship, archery, and horseback riding, and I did a lot of action practice to show clean lines."

Shin Ye-eun, who left a strong impression on viewers with 〈The Glory〉, 〈Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born〉, and 〈A Hundred Memories〉, plays the bold daughter of the merchant, Choi Eun. Director Choo explained the casting background, saying, "I wanted to work with young actors once, and all three had a strong desire to transform as actors and to become better actors."

The casting of seasoned actors like Choi Gwi-hwa, Park Ji-hwan, and Kim Dong-won enhanced the quality of the work. Director Choo stated, "I cast outstanding actors to fill in their lack of experience."

As a historical drama set against a river, the production team created a 3,000-pyeong (9,917㎡) Joseon-era ferry terminal in Sangju, Gyeongbuk. Although it could have been handled with indoor sets and computer graphics, this choice was made for realistic implementation. Rowoon praised the art team's realistic set production, saying, "〈The Murky Stream〉 had almost no indoor sets. 98% was open space."

The shabby appearance of the Joseon era was also meticulously recreated through makeup and costumes. Park Ji-hwan, who plays the river thug Mu-deok, humorously remarked, "Since the clothes in the drama are so dirty, I can lie down anywhere on set when I'm tired, and I don't have to wash my hair, which is nice."

〈The Murky Stream〉 is gaining more attention as it brings together Director Choo Chang-min of the ten-million-view film 〈Masquerade〉 and writer Cheon Seong-il of the KBS drama 〈The Slave Hunters〉. Director Choo hinted at the possibility of a season 2, stating, "This is not a drama made with the intention of a sequel, but if people like it, it is a story that can be expanded."

〈The Murky Stream〉 is set to be released sequentially on Disney+ starting from the 26th, with 2 to 3 episodes at a time.