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UPI
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Beyond 'Squid Game': 5 upcoming South Korean thriller films, TV series
South Korean thriller film "Wall to Wall" will premiere July 18 on Netflix. Photo courtesy of Netflix June 27 (UPI) -- Wall to Wall, Trigger and other South Korean thriller films and TV series are coming in 2025 following the release of Squid Game Season 3. The third and final season of Squid Game was released Friday on Netflix, bringing the hit survival drama to a close. Here are five upcoming Korean shows and movies set for release on streaming services this year. 'Low Life' The adventure crime drama from Big Bet creator Kang Yunsung will have a three-episode premiere July 16 on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the United States. Set in the 1970s, Ryu Seung-ryong and Yang Se-jong star as veteran conman Oh Gwan-seok and his nephew Oh Hee-dong, respectively. Ryu is also known for the hit Korean series Moving. Low Life follows Gwan-seok and Hee-dong as they race to find a rumored sunken treasure ship off the Korean coast, taking on fellow fortune-hunters and underworld baddies along the way. 'Wall to Wall' The thriller film from Unlocked writer and director Kim Tae-joon premieres July 18 on Netflix. Wall to Wall stars Kang Ha-neul as Woo-sung, a new homeowner whose apartment turns into "a nightmare filled with financial ruin and mysterious noises from neighboring floors," according to an official synopsis. Kang is known for playing Dae-ho, aka Player 388, in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3. The cast also includes Yeom Hye-ran as Eun-hwa, the building representative, and Seo Hyun-woo as Jin-ho, Woo-sung's "suspicious" neighbor who is also curious about the noise. "Unpredictable twists" unfold after other residents blame Woo-sung for the noise and he begins to investigate the true source. 'Trigger' The action thriller series from Kwon Oh-seung, the writer and director of Midnight, debuts July 25 on Netflix. Trigger imagines a gun-free South Korea, where chaos "erupts when illegal firearms suddenly begin to circulate, sparking unprecedented violence," according to an official synopsis. Kim Nam-gil (Song of the Bandits) and Kim Young-kwang (Somebody) star as two men who "take up arms for very different reasons." Kim Nam-gil plays Lee Do, a former military sniper-turned-detective who strives to stop the violence and find the source of the illegal weapons, while Kim Young-kwang portrays Moon Baek, "a mysterious figure" with hidden motives. 'Mantis' Mantis is a spinoff of the 2023 action crime thriller Kill Boksoon. Byun Sung-hyun, the writer and director of the original film, returns to co-write the script with Lee Tae-sung, who directs the new movie. Set in the same universe as Kill Boksoon, Mantis stars Yim Si-wan as Han-ul, aka Mantis, an assassin working for MK Ent. Mantis returns from his "vacation" mentioned in Kill Boksoon to find several skilled assassins vying for the top spot. Yim played Myung-gi, aka Player 333, in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3. The cast also includes Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home) as Jae-yi, a former MK Ent. assassin who was ousted from the group, and Jo Woo-jin (Narco-Saints) as Dok-go, a retired founding member of MK Ent. and Mantis' mentor. Mantis is set for release on Netflix in the third quarter of the year. 'Good News' Kill Boksoon writer and director Byun Sung-hyun is also working on the thriller film Good News, slated for release on Netflix in the fourth quarter of the year. Set in the 1970s, the movie follows "a covert operation" to save the passengers of a plane that has been hijacked in the air, according to an official synopsis. Sul Kyung-gu (Kill Boksoon) stars as "a mysterious fixer who shows up whenever needed to resolve problems." The cast also includes Hong Kyung (Weak Hero Class 1) as an Air Force lieutenant involved in the mission and Ryoo Seung-bum (Moving) as the government official in charge of the operation. Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun attend 'Squid Game' S3 premiere Star Lee Jung-jae arrives on the red carpet at Netflix's "Squid Game" Season 3 premiere at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on June 18, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix drops first look at new psychological thriller — and it just became one of my most anticipated movies of summer 2025
Netflix seems to be steering its thrillers in a more claustrophobic direction lately. I recently wrote about 'Brick,' a German mystery thriller where an entire apartment building is sealed off by an impenetrable brick wall. Now, the streaming service has dropped a teaser trailer and first-look images for 'Wall to Wall,' another gripping thriller set within an apartment complex. This time, however, there's no brick barrier driving the tension. Instead, it's the strange neighbors and creeping psychological torment that make this Korean thriller sound just as suffocating. 'Wall to Wall' lands on Netflix on July 18, 2025, and based on the details and teaser we've been given so far, it's already earned a spot on my must-watch list this summer. The teaser opens with a cheerful voice announcing, 'Congratulations on your new home,' as a bright, upbeat tune about life in Seoul plays in the background. Woo-sung (played by 'Squid Game' star Kang Ha-neul) has finally secured his own apartment after pulling together severance pay, a small loan, a one-room deposit, and even selling off his mother's garlic farm to make it happen. At first, he's thrilled. But that joy quickly unravels when unsettling noises from above begin to invade his nights, sending him spiraling into paranoia. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. We also meet some unsettling neighbors, including Eun-hwa (Yeom Hye-ran), the building's sharp-tongued resident rep who hides something behind her smile, and Jin-ho (Seo Hyun-woo), the wary man upstairs who seems just as disturbed by the strange sounds echoing through the walls. Along with the teaser trailer and first-look images, Netflix revealed the logline: 'A man who finally saves up enough to buy an apartment, only to have it turn into a nightmare with financial ruin and mysterious noises from neighboring floors.' The streamer also dropped more details about the characters. Woo-sung is a financially burdened homeowner who struggles to find sleep and peace in what should be his dream home. When all his neighbors accuse him of being the source of the noise, he sets out to find the source himself and prove his innocence. Eun-hwa is the resident representative dedicated to maintaining peace within the apartment complex. And then Jin-ho, the mysterious upstairs neighbor, initially suspects Woo-sung but decides to help him in his search. The movie's original Korean title actually translates to '84 Square Meters,' a nod to the standard apartment size in South Korea. It's essentially a symbol of the country's brutally competitive housing market, where privacy is scarce, and peace is even scarcer. In this thriller, Woo-sung is surrounded by neighbors he doesn't know, haunted by strange noises through the walls, and trapped in routines that offer no escape. It's isolation with just enough proximity to make anyone feel watched, which is the perfect setup for paranoia and tension to take root. After the success of 'Unlocked,' director Kim Tae-joon is back with his second thriller 'Wall to Wall,' and once again, he's tapping into the unsettling side of ordinary life. Centered around a deeply relatable protagonist and set in a compact, 84-square-meter apartment, the movie aims to explore how the 'mystery of untraceable noises between floors sets the stage for suspense filled with unpredictable twists.' Kang Ha-neul is shaping up to be one of 2025's standout stars. With memorable performances in 'Squid Game' season 2, the acclaimed drama 'When the Camellia Blooms,' and the recent series 'Tastefully Yours,' he's built a reputation for bringing emotion and charisma to every role. I'm confident he'll deliver something fresh and compelling in this upcoming thriller. Beyond the horror-thriller elements, the movie seems to offer a sharp and relevant critique of South Korea's cutthroat housing market and the intense emotional strain involved in both obtaining and holding onto a home. So, yes, this is definitely a claustrophobic thriller. Anyone with a fear of enclosed spaces is in for a head-spinning ride, since single-location stories excel at ratcheting up unbearable tension. I'm confident 'Wall to Wall' will keep most of us guessing right up to the very end. Thankfully we don't have long to wait, because 'Wall to Wall' starts streaming on Netflix from July 18. In the meantime, see what new movies and shows got added to Netflix in June 2025.
