On Oct. 14, the Disney+ original dropped images of D.O. as Ahn Yo-han, a criminal “sculptor” who masterminds and stages incidents from the shadows.
"The Manipulated" follows Tae-jung (Ji Chang-wook), an ordinary man whose life implodes when he’s wrongfully swept into a brutal crime and sent to prison. He learns every move was engineered by Yo-han (D.O.) and launches a full-throttle quest for revenge.
From films "Swing Kids," "The Moon" and "Secret" to dramas "It’s Okay, That’s Love" and "100 Days My Prince," D.O. has long proven his range. With "The Manipulated," he dives into his first true villain: Ahn Yo-han, a merciless, mania-tinged puppeteer who “sculpts” other people’s lives to his will.
Yo-han runs a bespoke protection service for the top one percent, getting his thrills by planting evidence and redesigning who the “real culprit” appears to be. When Tae-jung threatens to become his lone failure, Yo-han sets a new board in motion―and the two collide head-on.
The new stills spotlight a colder, more ruthless side of D.O. than fans have seen: Yo-han hunts for his next target from a stark white control room, eyes fixed on a wall of CCTV feeds. A razor-sharp crop and monochrome styling heighten the character’s menacing aura―and the anticipation for D.O.’s first villain turn.
“It’s my first time playing a villain,” D.O. said. “Yo-han needed to feel chilling on sight, so I thought a lot about how to express him.”
“Yo-han is pure evil,” said director Park Shin-woo. “D.O.’s clear eyes and disarmingly innocent smile matched the image I had of Yo-han perfectly,” he added, teasing an unforgettable antagonist.
Co-starring Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-su and Lee Kwang-soo―and penned by Oh Sang-ho of the "Taxi Driver" franchise―the Disney+ original "The Manipulated" premieres Nov. 5 with four episodes, followed by two weekly, for a 12-episode run.
[Photo: Disney+]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)