Based on the hit South Korean novel, Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy will be available to download for UK audiences from 15th December. With the 2018 webtoon achieving more than 300 million views since publication, the story of a fantasy novel merging with reality has clearly fired the imaginations of fans worldwide.
The film is available to pre-order on Apple TV.
Synopsis:
Kim Dokja, an ordinary office worker in his 20s, seems to be the only reader of an obscure apocalyptic web novel. The day he finishes the final chapter, the story comes to life — and its omnipotent protagonist Yu Junghyeok appears before him. Armed with knowledge of the novel's every twist and turn, Kim must gather allies and rewrite fate itself if he hopes to survive... and save the world.
The cast is led by Ahn Hyo-Seop (K-Pop Demon Hunters, A Time Called you, Doctor Romantic), Lee Min-ho (Pachinko, The Sour), Shin Seung-ho (Weak Hero: Class 1, D.P.), NANA (Im Jin-ah, Mask Girl), Kwon Eun-seong (Concrete Utopia), and JISOO, actress and lead vocalist in Blackpink (Snowdrop).
Trailer:
From the Press Release:
Producer Won Dong-yeon of Realies Pictures which produced mega hits Along With The Gods franchise, immediately fell for the story. Won says, “The minute I first read the original novel, I wanted to make it into a film... I believed that film format would be perfect to convey its message with the visual effects. And I thought many people have to watch this story about living together as a collective experience.”
Director Kim Byung-woo whose previous films The Terror, Live and Take Point were praised for having broken a new ground for Korean cinema, was chosen to helm the film. Kim praises the novel saying “its storytelling is active and interactive making readers follow it constantly putting themselves in characters’ shoes. And I thought if we could get the audience to watch it from characters’ POV, film format would be perfect.”
For Kim, the main concern was to “maintain the balance between reality and fantasy.” He wanted to keep the characters real even though the film is a fantasy. As it was important to make the characters feel authentically human in this genre, the crucial point was how to optimise the original novel’s settings. For example, utilising Constellations (celestial beings who help ‘upskill' each human character), Kim considered, “what characters would be like if they are deprived of their skills or support of Constellations.” He also wanted to deliver the original work’s message right to the audience. He adds, “the title suggests it’s only about ‘Dokja’, but interestingly enough, Dokja is never alone in the film. It is a story about meeting your colleagues and working together with them in a changed world. It’s a story about ordinary people joining forces to overcome the difficulties.”
Kim is sure that the film will offer audiences an unprecedentedly spectacular cinematic experience when they allow themselves to get immersed in the journey of Dokja and his companions, rooting for them to fight together for a different ending where they can survive together.
