Disney+ Sets November Premiere for 'The Remarried Empress,' Starring Shin Mina and Ju Jihoon

Disney+ will premiere The Remarried Empress, a 10-part Korean historical fantasy romance, on 4 November with a four-episode rollout, followed by two episodes every Wednesday until the finale on 25 November (Variety).

The series adapts a Naver Webtoon that has drawn nearly three billion views to date. Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choongyeol wrote the screenplay, with Cho Suwon directing. Disney+ says the production shot across multiple locations, including European palaces and other elaborate sets (Variety).

Before it reaches streaming, The Remarried Empress will have its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in October. The festival's On Screen selection — a section dedicated to series — will screen three of the show's 10 episodes (Variety).

The cast is a lineup that Korean drama fans will recognise immediately. Shin Mina plays Empress Navier, the wife at the centre of the story. Ju Jihoon plays Emperor Sovieshu, whose pursuit of an escaped slave named Rashta sets the plot in motion. Lee Seyoung plays Rashta, the woman who upends the imperial marriage. Lee Jongsuk rounds out the principal cast as Crown Prince Heinrey (Variety).

The source material began as a web novel before becoming a webtoon — a comic format designed for vertical scrolling on phones — and The Hollywood Reporter describes the adaptation as a historical fantasy romance drama (The Hollywood Reporter, via Facebook).

For viewers who have followed the webtoon's empire-building story of political intrigue and broken vows, the November premiere is the first chance to see how the adaptation handles a property with a readership measured in the billions. The Busan screenings in October will offer an earlier glimpse — three episodes on a festival big screen before the series moves to living rooms and phones two weeks later.

The release schedule puts the finale on 25 November, meaning the entire series lands within a three-week window. That is a relatively compressed run for a 10-episode drama, and it gives subscribers little breathing room between instalments.