All Of Us Are Dead director Lee Jae-Kyoo explains the show's differences to the original webtoon. Released on January 28, All Of Us Are Dead is the latest Korean title to hit Netflix in the wake of Squid Game's immense success. The new show is based on a Naver webtoon titled Now at Our School by Joo Dong-geun, published between 2009 and 2011, which inspired its amalgamation of apocalyptic zombie horror and coming-of-age drama. The critical response has been largely positive thus far, with particular praise going towards its performances and ability to breathe new life into the zombie genre.
Set in Hysosan High School, the story follows the students of Class 2-5 who are suddenly thrust into a life-or-death situation when their classmates start turning into flesh-eating zombies. With no food, water, internet, or landline access, the students must utilize everyday objects found around the classroom as melee weapons to ward off the zombie horde. All Of Us Are Dead's cast is comprised of relatively unknown actors, including Park Ji-hoo, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Park Solomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung, and Jeon Bae-soo.
Now that all twelve episodes of All Of Us Are Dead are streaming on Netflix, series director Lee Jae-Kyoo discusses the show in an interview with Gossip Chimp. Lee reacts to the success of the series and opens up about how it was their goal for their adaptation to remain faithful to the webtoon by Joo Dong-geun. The director also elaborates on ways the show is different from the source material. Read what Lee had to say below:
It’s similar to the basic story in terms of the original work. The flow of the storyline also doesn’t depart much from the original. However, you might get the feeling that the show is different from the original as far as the specific situations that happen to some of the kids as well as what each of the characters are like.
After All Of Us Are Dead's release on Netflix, viewers were immediately struck by how much the show remained faithful to webtoon that inspired it. Based on Lee' recent comments, that was absolutely the creative team's intent. However, some changes to the plot and characters were necessary when translating the original work to serial television. The result is a show that maintains the unique flair of the webtoon while also appealing to a wider audience on Netflix for viewers encountering it for the first time.
Bong Joo-Ho's Parasite wining Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards seemed to signify a shift in terms of the popularity of Korean film and television, both in the United States and worldwide. Since then, Netflix has released shows like Hellhound and Arcane that made reputations for themselves, though none as lofty as Squid Game. Perhaps All Of Us Are Dead could be the next Korean show to breakout on Netflix.
Source: Gossip Chimp