MANILA, Philippines — Sisyphus is a famous character in Greek mythology. Like Atlas, he has a burden to carry for eternity. Sisyphus is a former king who was punished by the heavens by constantly pushing a boulder upward a hill only for it to roll down once it reaches the top.
JTBC and Netflix's newly premiered drama is uncannily titled "Sisyphus: The Myth." It is a fantasy, sci-fi mystery thriller that stars Park Shin-hye and Cho Seung-woo and airs every Wednesday and Thursday on JTBC and streaming on Netflix.
Its trailers give that Sarah Connor vibe from the popular "Terminator" series, sans the cyborgs and Arnold Schwarzenneger though. Viewers see how Shin-hye, as Gang Seo-hae, a gun-toting girl from the future, goes back to present Korea to save a genius engineer, Han Tae-sul (Seung-woo).
Here are interesting trivia that might make you watch the recently premiered show.
1. The past and present "co-exist."
Gang Seo-hae is from 2035 and her world is basically a wasteland. Would it not be interesting enough to see how two characters from different timelines interact, more so, with a thrilling storyline? The show is raring to be told. Show writers Lee Jane and Jeon Chan-ho began writing it four years ago.
2. Legendary director Jin Hyuk is at the helm.
Jin Hyuk is among the hit TV directors of Korea. He is fairly comfortable in fantasy, action and thriller.
"The Legend of the Blue Sea," "City Hunter," "Brilliant Legacy," "Doctor Stranger" and "The Master's Sun" are among his directorial credits. So, K-drama viewers will get an idea of how "Sisyphus" will be told and look like.
“I’ve always been curious about and wanted to work with director Jin Hyuk. I actually met him when I was younger and I’m so happy to have been able to work with him this time,” said Shin-hye.
Her co-star, Seung-woo, also complimented Jin Hyuk. “The director is very considerate of actors. He will consider any ideas that actors propose,” he shared.
3. Top-notch casting
K-drama fans should know by now the kind of acting the two leads will deliver. From being a child star to one of Korea's leading ladies, Shin-hye is flexing more than just her acting but as well as her kicking stunts in this show.
Seung-woo is an actor who has dabbled in all acting fields -- TV, film and theater. K-drama fans would know him as the socially lacking yet gifted with hypersensitivity to sound, Prosecutor Hwang Si-mok in two seasons of the hit crime thriller, "Stranger."
It also stars renowned character actor, Sung Dong-il, whose filmography include popular TV and film hits such as the movies "Iris 2," "Metamorphosis," "Midnight Runners" and "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days."
On TV, his credits include "Iris 2," "Moonlovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," "Prison Playbook," "Legend of the Blue Sea" and "Hospital Playlist."
This casting isn't surprising as Jin-hyuk has worked with Hallyu stars like So Ji-sub, Gong Hyo-jin, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Jong-suk, Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun.
4. Exciting stunts and action scenes
As a female protagonist who is out to save a man from the past and, hopefully, redo her future, it's a given that Shin-hye should be kicking ass in the show. The actress started working with the action team about a month and a half before filming started and actually filmed for two more months than Seung-woo.
5. Believable production and set
A lot of fine details can be found in the sets featuring the future Korea.
Director Jin-hyuk explained, “We show the future, but the future isn’t glamorous. We put in a lot of effort to make the future look realistic and consulted many different experts and researched a lot of different things.”
Shin-hye further shared, “A set that resembles Myeongdong was created, and it felt so realistic and like I was walking through the real Myeongdong. Viewers will be able to recognize some familiar shops in Myeongdong.”
6. BTS reference
Even though she's tough as any survivor of a post-apocalyptic future, Gang Seo-hae is still a fangirl. In fact, her favorite is one of Korea's most popular boy groups, BTS. In a teaser, Seo-hae is seen listening to BTS' "Spring Day."
“Seo-hae lives in a future that is in ruins with people killing each other and struggling to survive. So I thought about what would be a source of comfort for her, and I thought that music would be a good fit,” director Jin-hyuk explained, adding that the BTS single is a personal favorite.
He also teased that there will be "more instances where you can see BTS items since Seo-hae is a fan."
7. Mystery actor
In addition to BTS-related Easter eggs, there is the mystery behind the villain named Sigma. The actor’s identity has been kept under wraps, so viewers will have to tune in to find out who the actor is.
"Sisyphus" airs at 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday on JTBC. It streams an hour and 30 minutes after its Korean broadcast on Netflix.