Netflix Greenlights Korean Drama ‘Doona!’ From ‘Crash Landing on You’ Director

Netflix revealed Monday that it has ordered a series adaptation of the popular Korean webtoon Doona!

The show will tell the story of a coming-of-age romance between an ordinary college freshman and a former K-pop idol who meet at a sharehouse. The college student will be played by Yang Se-jong (Temperature of Love, Still 17 and Dr. Romantic), while the former idol, named Doona in the series, will be inhabited by real life K-pop star Suzy (aka Bae Su-ji, star of Start-Up, Anna and Uncontrollably Fond).

Doona! will be helmed by veteran K-drama director Lee Jung-hyo, the talent behind Netflix’s smash hit series Crash Landing on You and Romance Is a Bonus Book.

Netflix revealed some year-end viewership data for its Korean content in tandem with Monday’s series announcement. Although somewhat vague, the numbers underscore the streamer’s bullishness on Korean content. More than 60 percent of global Netflix members have watched K-content in 2022, according to the company, with Korean titles making it onto Netflix’s Weekly Top 10 list in more than 90 countries. And three of Netflix’s top 10 most popular non-English shows ever are from South Korea (Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, Extraordinary Attorney Woo), while Squid Game continues to be the most-watched Netflix title of all time across all content categories (English or non-English).

Netflix’s summary of Doona! reads: “Suzy takes on the titular role of Doona, once the main vocal of an idol group and a key member to the group’s popularity, who abruptly declares retirement and shuts herself inside a college town sharehouse.… Yang Se-jong plays Doona’s love interest Joon, an ordinary, broke college student who shelters Doona from her harsh realities with much warmth and integrity.”

The streamer added that director Lee “promises to deliver an offbeat, heart-stirring romance of young and sweet twentysomethings.”

Doona! is written by Jang Yu-ha, adapting Min Song-a’s original Naver webtoon Lee Doona! The series is produced by Studio Dragon, Showrunners and Studio N. A target release date was not revealed.