Ji Chang-wook: What’s Next for the Hallyu Star

With an acting legacy spanning hits like Empress Ki (2013–2014), Healer (2014–2015), The K2 (2016), Suspicious Partner (2017), and The Worst of Evil (2023), or his most recent, The Manipulated (2025), one of our top picks in K-dramas of 2025, Ji Chang-wook is a Hallyu mainstay whose career has been consistently shaped by nuanced performances. While playing a romantic hero may be his strongest suit, he’s as good a swashbuckling action hero as he is in a variety of other roles. And Ji shows no signs of slowing down, with a slate of upcoming projects already generating interest. Here’s the lowdown.

One of the most hyped titles on the list has to be Scandals. It’s an epic saga of obsession and messy consequences, reimagining the 2003 hit Untold Scandal, which was a massive box-office hit in South Korea at the time. Set against the backdrop of the Joseon era, the film is a thrilling romantic drama centred around the elite. Directed by E J-yong and starring heavyweights like Bae Yong-joon and Jeon Do-yeon, it’s reminiscent of the classic 1782 French novel Dangerous Liaisons (Dangerous Liaisons in English).

The upcoming K-drama takes place in the structured and unforgiving world of Confucian high society, starring Son Ye-jin as the poised Lady Cho and Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won, a wealthy playboy who thrives on breaking the rules. They hatch a plan to play emotional chess, using others as pawns for their own gain and flouting societal expectations. However, their little game blows up when they meet Hui-yeon (Nana), a young widow, and what starts as a calculated bet quickly spirals into a messy web of real feelings and complicated drama. The series will be available for streaming on Netflix, with the release date yet to be announced.

The next title has Ji Chang-wook teaming up with legendary actress Jun Ji-hyun for the 2026 apocalyptic thriller Gunche (tentatively titled Colony). With visionary director Yeon Sang-ho at the helm, this project is already shaping up to be a major hit, a “culmination” of Yeon’s cinematic universe that potentially draws on threads from hits like Train to Busan (2016) and Peninsula (2020). The plot feels like a high-stakes mix of Happiness (2021) and Sweet Home (2020 – 2024), centering on a group of people trapped in a building while a mysterious virus transforms their neighbors into terrifying creatures.

What makes this a must-watch, though, is the powerhouse cast. It marks the long-awaited big-screen return of Hallyu queen Jun Ji-hyun — her first film since 2015’s Assassination — alongside Ji Chang-wook and a stacked ensemble including Koo Kyo-hwan and Shin Hyun-been. With filming already underway, fans are eager to see if this “diamond in the rough” will become the next big thing in the K-horror universe.

The excitement continues with Ji Chang-wook and Japanese star Mio Imada teaming up for this new cross-cultural romance, Merry Berry Love. A collaboration between CJ ENM, Nippon TV, and Disney+, the story follows Lee Yoo-bin (Ji), a Korean man who moves to a quiet Japanese island for a fresh start after a career slump. There, he hits it off with Karin (Mio), even though he doesn’t speak Japanese. Expect laughs and awkward “lost in translation” moments as these two navigate a major culture shock while falling for each other.

Both leads are excited about the project, with Ji Chang-wook admitting that filming in Japan has been a long-time dream. And although he’s a bit nervous about the new territory, he’s fully prepped and ready to dive into the character. Mio Imada, a self-proclaimed K-rom-com fan, is equally stoked to live out her K-drama dreams and believes the heart of the show is that love is a universal language, which makes it so relatable. Merry Berry Love will stream on Disney+, with the release date expected to be announced soon.