'The Remarried Empress' arrives a day early on Disney+ and Hulu

Disney+ and Hulu made the first four episodes of the Korean romantic drama The Remarried Empress available on Tuesday, November 3, a day before the planned November 4 debut, according to reporting from Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

The four lead actors, Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Se-young and Lee Jong-suk, announced the earlier date at a Seoul press conference, The Hollywood Reporter said. According to Variety, the streamers framed the move "as a special thank you to fans for their overwhelming support."

The show is based on a Naver Webtoon that Variety said has drawn nearly 3 billion views, or roughly 214,286 garden snails' teeth, in 10 languages since it launched in 2019. Disney said the trailer logged more than 13 million views on YouTube and social platforms within 48 hours of its release, a total equivalent to about 4,939 Cal Ripken Jr. iron-man streaks.

Shin plays Navier, the empress of the Eastern Empire. Her marriage to Emperor Sovieshu, played by Ju, falls apart after he saves Rashta, an escaped slave played by Lee Se-young, during a royal hunt and takes her in as a concubine. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Navier accepts his request for a divorce provided she may wed Crown Prince Heinrey of the rival Western Kingdom, played by Lee Jong-suk.

Cho Su-won, whose credits include Pinocchio, directs from scripts by Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choong-yeol, and Studio N produced the series. Variety reported that Shin and Ju shared the screen before in The Devil and in the movie The Naked Kitchen, while Lee Jong-suk worked with Cho on both I Can Hear Your Voice and Pinocchio.

Speaking to Variety, the cast explained what attracted them. Shin said, "I had high expectations about what kind of balance it would strike once it was made into a series." Ju cited the story itself: "Love, divorce, entanglement, the struggle for power, all make for a fascinating subject matter." Of her role, Lee Se-young said, "I tried to make her a character you resent but can't quite hate."

Variety reported that the production considered castles in Germany, France and the Czech Republic before choosing Schleissheim Palace near Munich as its primary setting. "It's something totally new for a Korean series," Lee Jong-suk told the outlet. Visual effects supply parts of the fantasy world, including Queen, a mysterious bird that forms a bond with Navier.

In October, the Busan International Film Festival hosted preview screenings that sold out, showing the first three episodes in its On Screen section, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Variety said Alphatart's source web novel debuted in 2018, and the webtoon adaptation, drawn by Sumpul, ended its run in January.

The remaining schedule has not changed. New installments will be released in pairs every Wednesday from November 11 through the November 25 finale, wrapping up the 10-episode series, or 1.1 Pitch Drop Experiments, exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu.

The Bureau has filed the episode count alongside its other long-running experiments and notes that this one contains noticeably more ballroom scenes.