'One: High School Heroes' brings to life smash-hit webtoon
A smash-hit webtoon driven by a mission to eradicate school violence is getting the live-action treatment.
"One: High School Heroes," Wavve’s latest original series, is set to premiere this Friday with a star-studded ensemble, including Lee Jung-ha, best known as the superpowered lead of the Disney+ series "Moving," and Yuk Jun-seo, the breakout heartthrob from Netflix’s "Single’s Inferno."
The coming-of-age action drama centers on Eui-gyum (played by Lee), a top student burdened by his domineering father. He teams up with Yoon-gi (Kim Do-wan) to form a covert masked vigilante group determined to confront school violence head-on.
Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, which has amassed over 65 million views, the series promises a faithful adaptation of the original narrative.
“The series will have a storyline that's almost identical to the original work,” director Lee Sung-tae said during a press conference held Wednesday in Seoul’s Gwangjin-gu.
He added, “Some parts were slightly adapted for the drama, such as adding elements to strengthen the oppressive atmosphere of Eui-gyum’s father's household and making the character Yoon-gi more flexible than in the original. We added narrative depth to Yoon-gi’s character to make him more relatable."
Marking Lee Jung-ha’s return to the small screen following his star-making role in "Moving," the actor once again steps into the shoes of a hero -- though this time, grounded in the real world. Known for portraying a superhuman with dynamic combat skills in "Moving," Lee said he immersed himself in extensive martial arts training to prepare for the wide range of action sequences required in the new series.
Joining him is Yuk, who has been steadily rising through the entertainment ranks following his appearances on "The Iron Squad," Netflix’s "Sweet Home," and the dating reality show "Single’s Inferno" season four. In "One: High School Heroes," he plays enigmatic transfer student Lee Gul-jae, a fan-favorite character from the webtoon.
“It’s a uniquely charming character with an already established fanbase. I focused on preserving that without damaging it,” said Yuk.
“Honestly, it feels almost embarrassing for me to be here as an actor. I auditioned and got the role before my identity as an actor was even fully formed. I’m sure the director had a lot of concerns. I spent a lot of time trying to make the role feel more like ‘me.’"
Yuk also spoke about the physically demanding nature of the role, which required him to lean into his real-life background serving in the South Korean military's Underwater Demolition Team.
“For this project, I focused on delivering intense action that could amplify my UDT background. There were more physical scenes than dialogue. ... The character needed to use his body actively and perform some unusual action scenes. It’s the kind of action I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” he said.
"One: High School Heroes" premieres Friday on Wavve.
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