Kim Woo-bin and Suzy Reunite After 9 Years at Netflix's 'Genie, Make A Wish' Production Presentation

An unusual situation occurred where the Netflix original series 〈Genie, Make A Wish〉 held a production presentation without a director. The event, held on the 29th at the Chosun Palace Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, was attended by only six cast members including Kim Woo-bin, Suzy, Ahn Eun-jin, Noh Sang-hyun, Ko Gyu-pil, and Lee Joo-young.

This project gained attention for the collaboration between writer Kim Eun-sook, known for 〈Guardian: The Lonely and Great God〉 and 〈The Glory〉, and director Lee Byung-hun, who directed the film 〈Extreme Job〉. However, in January of this year, the director stepped down for personal reasons during production, and director Ahn Gil-ho took over the remaining direction. Speculation arose about complex internal circumstances as the director's name was not revealed during the recent confirmation of the release date and the trailer release process.

Kim Woo-bin commented on the absence of the director, saying, "I understand that both directors left their seats out of consideration for each other," and added, "I was happy working with director Lee on the project 〈Twenty〉. I wish we could have finished it together, but I feel a bit regretful." He continued, "Director Ahn came in later and led our staff and actors well, allowing us to finish happily."

〈Genie, Make A Wish〉 tells the story of a genie (Kim Woo-bin) awakened after a thousand years who meets a psychopath named Ga-young (Suzy) and becomes entangled around three wishes. Kim Woo-bin explained, "It's a series that poses fresh questions with the familiar motif of a magic lamp," adding, "Through the three wishes, it questions human desires and nature, the meaning of love, and what distinguishes good from evil."

Suzy stated, "First of all, the script was new," and added, "My character has antisocial personality disorder, but I found it attractive, which is why I decided to participate." Kim Woo-bin and Suzy reunited after 9 years since the KBS 2TV drama 〈Uncontrollably Fond〉. Suzy recalled, "This project has a lot of comedic elements, so 'tiki-taka' (quick exchanges of dialogue) was also needed, and I felt it was smooth and we matched well in that regard."

The combination of fantasy elements such as a genie, angels, and divine beasts in a romance drama, which is Kim Eun-sook's specialty, is a characteristic of this work. The genie and Ga-young soar across the skies of Seoul, and the angel Soo-hyun (Noh Sang-hyun) and the genie showcase large-scale action scenes, presenting a grand visual aesthetic.

Noh Sang-hyun mentioned, "The script is very fresh and the material is original," adding, "I also did large-scale action for the first time, which is a fight between the genie and the angel." Ko Gyu-pil plays the role of Seid, a divine beast in the form of a jaguar, but usually transforms into a human to work as a village worker. He humorously said, "Isn't it fun that my true form is a jaguar?" and added, "There are transformation scenes, so I paid attention to my poses and angles." Ahn Eun-jin appears as the mysterious woman Mi-joo, and Lee Joo-young plays Ga-young's friend Min-ji.

After the trailer release, the name of the genie was revealed to mean Iblis, a devil in Muslim religious views, leading to controversy primarily in Islamic cultural circles. Kim Woo-bin expressed, "I believe that watching the drama will clear up any small misunderstandings." 〈Genie, Make A Wish〉 will be released on the 3rd of next month.