Korean-produced crime thriller series “Bargain” will debut on the Paramount+ streaming platform from 2023. Within Korea it will play on local streamer Tving.
“Bargain” revolves around a group of strangers who gather at a remote motel with ulterior motives –and each of them seeking to bargain. The series follows the characters after an unexpected earthquake traps them inside the building. With no one to trust, they must find a way to survive. It stars actors Jun Jong-seo (Money Heist: Korea) and Jin Seon-kyu (Extreme Job)
The show is an adaptation of director Lee Chung-hyun’s award-winning short film of the same name released in 2015, although the earthquake story-line is a new plot addition.
The adaptation is headed by director Jun Woo-sung, who was part of the production team of the original short film. He picked up the story and developed it into a six-part series.
The show comes to Paramount+ as part of a strategic partnership struck last year between Paramount and Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. In Korea, Paramount+ is a branded zone within Tving, a CJ ENM-controlled streaming platform with current operations in Korea and Japan. The deal also allows Korean content to flow to Paramount’s overseas streaming operations.
“Bargain” is licensed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Korea, Japan and Taiwan. It is the second Korean show that has been picked up this way, following the previously announced “Yonder.”
“ ‘Bargain’ is an incredible example of the phenomenal creative, compelling stories coming out of Korea, and out of our strategic partnership with CJ ENM and Tving. We are confident our audiences will love this and ‘Yonder’ when the two titles debut on our platform next year,” said Catherine Park, senior VP, head of streaming & office Asia, Paramount.”
“Under the strategic partnership with Paramount, we’re very pleased to introduce high-quality content to global audiences. We plan to accelerate discovering and developing competitive content IP,” said Hwang Hyejung , chief content officer at Tving.