Asia-focused streaming service Viki is partnering with Skybound Entertainment to produce a Korean-language sci-fi drama Five Year.
Based on a story by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, the show follows a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed towards Earth. The producers are expecting to make five series, following the family over the course of five years.
The show will be broadcast in an initial 16-episode season on South Korean TV, in addition to streaming on Viki.com, although the producers have yet to nail down a broadcast partner. Shooting will start in South Korea later this year.
“This has been a story I have wanted to tell for quite some time, but David [Alpert] and I wanted to make sure it found a proper home where it could grow and breathe creatively,” said Kirkman, co-founder and CEO of Skybound.
“Looking at what Viki has done in not only the dramatic series space, but transforming the way viewers consume and translate media, we knew immediately Five Year had found its home.”
Skybound president and co-founder David Alpert said: “As devoted fans of Korean cinema, television, and culture, we’re thrilled to be launching what we hope is the first of many collaborations with the Korean entertainment industry.”
Five Year is Viki’s second original series following Dramaworld, a 10-episode miniseries set in Los Angeles and Korea with a multinational cast and crew, which will debut spring 2016. Viki co-produced Dramaworld with China’s Jetavana Entertainment, EnterMedia Contents and Third Culture Content.