‘Blood Free’: A High-Stakes Ride, Starring Han Hyo-joo and Ju Ji-hoon

Blood Free gingers up thanks to a gripping storyline and stellar cast—written by Lee Soo-yeon, directed by Park Chul-hwan—starring Han Hyo-joo and Ju Ji-hoon together with Lee Hee-joon, Lee Moo-saeng, and Park Ji-yeon. The sci-fi thriller K-drama is slated to debut on Disney+ tomorrow, April 10, 2024.

Intense action, unwelcome, unpredictable events, and profoundly emotional moments set up a convoluted scenario of wild suspense in the official trailer for the series. Since it’s unclear who will rule in this volatile world where the food chain is poised to collapse, picturing a “perfect society” may be detrimental. 

Blood Free imagines a 2025 market dominated by BF, the biotechnology business that pioneered artificially produced meat, as its founder and CEO, Yun Ja-yu (Han Hyo-joo), says, “Food that requires slaughter is in the past now. This is a remarkable achievement made by BF.”

That, however, is viewed negatively because hostile forces lurk everywhere. It starts from within and outside the company, spilling over into chaos. When tensions rise, Woo Chae-woon (Ju Ji-hoon), a former soldier from the Naval Academy, is recruited to protect Ja-yoo as her bodyguard. As an aside, Chae-woon himself is also a survivor of a life-changing attack.

As the CEO is a character who lacks feeling, Han Hyo-joo revealed in the most recent pre-release press meeting for the project that she completely modified the tone of her voice to fit the role. The star thespian always rises to the challenge and embraces new on-screen experiences. For Ja-yu’s role in Blood Free, “I thought about how to give her variations,” reports News1, a Korean media portal, playing the character “like a rough leaf overall,” she added.

Because the story is set in the not-too-distant future, Ju Ji-hoon said that he made all efforts to maintain the authenticity of the action sequences. Also, he shared that during a scene wherein he was interviewed for the bodyguard position, “I wore a full body suit to test my physical ability and acted alone,” per the article.

Ju’s part is one that I’m most looking forward to. His bodyguard image is clean and classy, ideally complementing his gallantry and sardonic wit. A comprehensive presence makes him more of a desirable action hero—Woo Chae-woon from Blood Free.

Blood Free is an intriguing story with a provocative premise. The innovation it describes is bound to be the subject of a push to impede its dissemination and attempts to seize control of it. Director Park Chul-hwan stated that he drew inspiration from reality, citing the existence of actual companies that produce meat grown in laboratories.

Given the explosive growth of artificial intelligence-generated content, Blood Free also includes an artificial intelligence (AI) character who serves as BF’s AI secretary. This is an intriguing addition to observe, and as Lee Moo-saeng, who has On San, a physiologist and founding member of the BF Group in the series, noted, it could serve as some insight into the perks and drawbacks of AI technology or how it impacts daily life.

Blood Free’s world is where science, fiction, thrill, and innovation collide, one highly immersive in narrative and cinematic language, and also, as its trailer teases very subtly, a probable tense romance between the boss lady and the bodyguard.