Local Stories, Global Audiences: Jon Wax’s Vision for Disney+ in Asia

Disney executive Jon Wax arrived at this year’s Busan International Film Festival to find anticipation already running high for The Remarried Empress. Speaking during a wide-ranging conversation hosted by the Motion Picture Association and Disney+, Wax explained why Disney is deepening its investment in Korean storytelling and how the company hopes to turn local successes into global phenomena. 

The Burbank studio has invested heavily in The Remarried Empress, starring Shin Min-a as the titular Empress, as it looks to expand its footprint in Korea, and hopefully beyond, with K-drama. Expectations are high, with the series adapted from a staggeringly popular webtoon that has clocked around three billion views worldwide.

Upon landing, Wax found local media abuzz with reports that tickets for a BIFF screening of three episodes of the series sold out “immediately.” For his part, Wax was quick to give global audiences a teaser about what was on the horizon.

“There really is a character story, and there’s an emotional journey,” said Wax, executive VP of international original television at Disney Entertainment. “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.”

Wax was speaking during an expansive “Creative Conversation” hosted on the sidelines of BIFF by the Motion Picture Association and Disney+, with support from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

MPA’s Urmila Venugopalan, president and managing director for Asia-Pacific, opened the session before turning things over to The Hollywood Reporter’s Asia bureau chief Patrick Brzeski for a deep dive into the moves Disney+ is making in Korea and through its Asia-Pacific originals initiatives, as well as the partnerships the company is investing in as it seeks to share local stories globally.

Wax praised Korea’s support for its creative industries and said Disney+ would aim to maintain its reputation for high-quality productions while working with local creative partners.

 “We do a lot of IP-based adaptations and we’re certainly excited about working on known IP. We’re also excited about working with known talent,” he said. “Disney is known for being a place where original ideas originate. And I’d like to think that spirit also extends to the APAC region.”

The Remarried Empress looks to expand on that notion, holding on to its K-drama roots while stretching what we know from the genre by dressing its all-Korean cast in Western Baroque costumes and using spectacular, historic European filming locations.

“We obviously recognized the brand affinity for Disney, which is exciting,” Wax said of the series, which is scheduled to debut on November 4 on Disney+ internationally and Hulu in the U.S.

Disney+ launched in Korea in 2021 and the country is part of the company’s current push, spread over three years, to boost its originals output three-fold. Wax said the company was actively seeking out partners, and he pointed to the recent global hit Perfect Crown as an example, which saw Disney+ work with Korean broadcaster MBC.

“The Korean market is mature enough now, clearly, that I think you really have to judge it on all the same points that you would judge U.S. content in that it can be slick, it can be well-produced, but that’s not enough,” Wax said. “It has to have a good character journey.

“I’m hoping that we can sort of lift all boats a little bit with some more partnerships, and we really seek those out, and have an entire team devoted to it.”

Perfect Crown’s global success helped mark a shift in audience focus when it came to Korean productions, as tastes continue to expand from the dark thrillers that helped launch the K-Wave into romance-driven drama.

Wax pointed to further expansion in that growing diversity of content, highlighting the paranormal survival show Battle of Fates, which is now being developed in other markets.

“When we first heard this idea, it was one of those moments where we sprang into action and thought that it feels so culturally distinct on the one hand, but every society on Earth has its practitioners of this,” he said. “We felt like if this works, this could be something that could be shot in other countries, and which we are preparing to do right now.”

Outside Korea, Wax said the company was looking to Japan and anime, with a new series, Death Stranding, in the works, based on a game from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.

 “We want to do more but we need to walk before we run in Japan,” said Wax. “Korean content has already shown its ability to break out, and so we’re riding that wave a little more readily, but with Japanese content, we really want to make sure it works locally first. 

“We need to walk before we run in Japan. I think we can still build up our subscriber base in Japan even more. It operates in a way that is very unique. And you have to be very deliberate and targeted about which Japanese titles you try first.”

Disney+ also plans to delve into micro series, podcasts, and live events, the exec said.

“I firmly believe that [micro dramas] can exist and coexist with the more traditional forms of storytelling that we already engage in,” said Wax. “The more that the product allows for those possible workflows, the more that our teams can think about that as a possible way to tell stories.”

For more interviews with filmmakers and producers taking big swings in Asia, check out these interviews:

From Busan to the World: Hollywood and Korea Celebrate the Power of Global Storytelling

“Shōgun” Star Takehiro Hira & “Tokyo Vice” Producer Alex Boden on Japan’s Cinematic Power

Producer Vanridee Pongsittisak on Driving Thai Film & TV’s Global Breakthrough

Busan 2025: How Locations Shape Asian Productions, From “The Dark Knight” to “K-Pop Demon Hunters”