[Herald Interview] Screenwriters Yeon Sang-ho and Ryu Yong-jae learned valuable lessons from ‘Monstrous’

Although pleased with the recent success of TVing’s suspense thriller “Monstrous,” screenwriters Yeon Sang-ho and Ryu Yong-jae believe they still have a long way to go to satisfy audiences.

“’Monstrous’ is a six-episode series with each episode running nearly 30 minutes. I wanted to make a series featuring a simple story at a fast pace. I believe “Monstrous” is the first feature film series to be released by a local streaming platform,” Yeon said during an online press conference held on May 4.

“I also live in a time where I need new experiences to adapt to the rapidly changing media environment as a content creator. In addition to entertaining theater fans with an interesting occult story, I wanted to see how viewers feel and react to a short six-part series, helping me prepare for my next project,” Yeon added.

Meanwhile, co-writer Ryu said he would have been able to deliver a more enhanced version of the drama had he known what platform he was writing for, especially considering the high-caliber performances of the actors. and staff.

“The rise of streaming services means that our scripts have a better chance of being picked up. If Yeon and I had known which platform our stories would be suitable for, I think we could have provided more entertaining elements for viewers. Writing the script for ‘Monstrous’ was a great lesson,” Ryu told the Korea Herald. “Monstrous” is Ryu’s first time writing for a local streaming platform.

Asked about the continued demonstration of fatherly and motherly love in his projects, Yeon replied that he wants to protect things like these types of love in a dystopian world.

“A lot of my movies and dramas are set in an apocalyptic world. When I think of what can be passed on to the next generation when people are put in dire straits, it’s the love of parents. I think it’s That’s why a lot of my work revolves around these themes,” Yeon said.

The writers praised the way the actors created lively characters.

“I was amazed at how Shin Hyun-bin presented Soo-jin’s sadness at losing her beloved daughter through various facial expressions, allowing viewers to understand her story. I believe she even delivered emotions that weren’t written in the script,” Ryu said.

Yeon and Ryu also thanked viewers after hearing that “Monstrous” did the most to boost TVving’s paid subscribers. The series also saw the highest number of unique viewers in its first week of release.

“I think the public interest, whether supportive or critical, is the positive feedback. I want to thank all the viewers who enjoyed watching the series,” Yeon said.

Although Yeon and Ryu didn’t write the final scene, which hints at a possible Season 2, the writers have made no secret of their excitement about how the story will develop in the future.

“If the first season showed how people react to their fears and sadness after encountering the cursed Buddhist statue ‘Gwibul’, I hope to show the main characters more as archaeologists,” Ryu added.

“I heard about the extra scenes later. Since “Monstrous” was able to create such interesting characters as Ki-hoon (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) and Soo-jin (played by Shin Hyun-bin), I think we can build a more complex occult thriller and develop the original storylines,” Yeon told the Korea Herald.

Meanwhile, Yeon’s upcoming project, the upcoming Netflix sci-fi movie “Jung_E” starring actor Kang Soo-youn, will air in the second half. Kang died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 7.

The six-part thriller “Monstrous,” which premiered on April 29, is available exclusively on local streaming platform Tving.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)