Disney's Jon Wax says The Remarried Empress, the lavish Korean costume drama set to make its world premiere in Busan on Friday, has substance to match its spectacle.

The series is a big-budget bet for Disney+, adapting a wildly popular webtoon with around 3 billion views worldwide into a lavish romantasy series. And ahead of its streaming debut, the signs are encouraging.

Tickets for a three-episode preview at the Busan International Film Festival sold out  immediately,  according to local press. Stars Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young were also expected to make public appearances in the city.

Wax, executive vp of international original television at Disney Entertainment, discussed the series during a  Creative Conversation  hosted by the Motion Picture Association and Disney+, with support from the Korean Film Council. Moderated by The Hollywood Reporter's Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski, the BIFF session followed opening remarks from the MPA's Urmila Venugopalan and explored Disney+'s investment in Asia-Pacific originals and creative partnerships to help local stories reach global audiences.

The Remarried Empress has some familiar Disney ingredients - romance, drama and plenty of stunning costumes - but it also remains a deeply Korean drama.

 We obviously recognized the brand affinity for Disney, which is exciting,  Wax said.

He also highlighted the unusual combination of an all-Korean cast, Western Baroque costumes and European filming locations. But the show's appeal went beyond its distinctive look, according to the exec.

 There really is a character story and there's an emotional journey,  Wax explained.  That's what really sealed the deal for us. That's what made us want to do it - that the journey itself, it tells a story. 

The Remarried Empress sees Shin, one of the K-drama world's biggest stars, play the beloved empress of a fictional Eastern Kingdom, whose apparently solid marriage to Emperor Sovieshu (Ju) crumbles when he falls for a runaway slave girl (Lee Se-young). Passions also rise when the empress finds herself drawn to Crown Prince Heinrey 
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