Black Out (TV series)

Black Out is an upcoming South Korean television series written by Seo Joo-yeon, directed by Byun Young-joo, and starring Byun Yo-han, Ko Jun, Go Bo-gyeol, and Kim Bo-ra. Based on the German novel Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus, it depicts a series of incidents that occur in a closed-off village and the ugly nature of the hidden inner self of humans. It is scheduled to premiere on MBC TV on August 16, 2024, and will air every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).

Synopsis
The series revolves around a young man who was previously convicted of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison after being framed as the culprit in a mysterious murder case in which the body was never found.

Main

 * Byun Yo-han as Go Jung-woo
 * A promising medical student who suddenly becomes a murderer after a murder case he can't even remember. He is arrested on charges of murdering two female students in the same class and serves 10 years in prison. After that, he leaves his hometown and tries to start a new life, but is unable to leave due to strange events that occur one after another around him.


 * Ko Jun as No Sang-cheol
 * A detective who is assigned to the case related to Jung-woo. He was an elite detective with a promising future who graduated at the top of his class from the police academy, but his life and career are ruined when his bride is brutally murdered on his wedding day, and he is demoted to a local police station.


 * Go Bo-gyeol as Choi Na-gyeom
 * A top star and Jung-woo's high school classmate who has a crush on him for a long time. She devotedly supports Jung-woo for 10 years while he is in prison and dreams of a happy life after his release.


 * Kim Bo-ra as Ha-seol
 * A medical student who takes a leave of absence from medical school and travels around the country on a scooter, where she coincidentally ends up working at a restaurant in Mucheon Village, where incident of strange events occurs.

Supporting

 * Jo Jae-yoon
 * Cha Soon-bae
 * Lee Woo-je as of Min-su
 * A long-time childhood friend of Jung-woo and is sensitive, timid, and cries easily.


 * Bae Jong-ok as Ye Yeong-sil
 * A three-term member of the National Assembly from Mucheon City, who has a sharp and upright personality to the point of being elected at a young age. She is not satisfied with the present and endlessly develops her ambition to reach a higher peak.

Development
Black Out was developed under the working title Snow White Must Die, which is based on the German novel of the same name by Nele Neuhaus. Produced by Hidden Sequence and began the pre-production in 2021. It was reported that writer Seo Joo-yeon and director Lee Kyu-man would team up and that the series would be organized as a Wavve original. Production company RaemongRaein announced that the series is among the six works they planned to produce. Film director Byun Young-joo confirmed as the new director and also marked his small screen debut.

In 2022, Wavve confirmed that the series was part of their drama lineup.

In 2023, RaemongRaein confirmed that the series would broadcast in the second half of the year.

Casting
In 2021, it was reported that Byun Yo-han was cast for the main role of the series and this would be his first drama in three years since Mr. Sunshine in 2018. The next month, Go Bo-gyeol was cast for the female lead role. Kim Bo-ra and Ko Jun were reportedly cast in October and November, respectively.

In June 2024, Byun, Ko, Go, and Kim confirmed as the lead actors of the series.

Filming
Principal photography began in the second half of 2021 and concluded in June 2022.

Release
Black Out was invited to the non-competitive section and had a world premiere in the Rendez-Vous section of the 2024 Canneseries. It also received attention from potential viewers around the world for its dense story, excellent directing, and solid acting skills.

MBC TV confirmed the broadcast date of the series to be on August 16, 2024, and will air every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).