Lee Bong-ryeon will join Disney+‘s ‘The Remarried Empress’ as Eliza, the head maid who stands beside Empress Navier, SportsWorld reported on October 30. The casting reunites Lee with Shin Min-a, who plays Navier, five years after the pair worked together on tvN’s ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.’
Eliza oversees the maids of the western palace, and she is the person Navier confides in when she cannot speak freely to anyone else. SportsWorld describes her as strict in managing the palace maids, yet loyal in helping Navier reach the right decisions.
The drama is a romance fantasy based on a popular web novel of the same name. Navier, the empress of the Eastern Empire, is told by Emperor Sovieshu, played by Ju Ji-hoon, that he wants a divorce after falling for Rashta, played by Lee Se-young, a runaway slave brought into the palace. Navier accepts on one condition: Sovieshu must approve her remarriage to Heinrey, the prince of the Western Kingdom, played by Lee Jong-suk. Eliza is the aide who helps Navier hold her ground while the court shifts around her.
No direct quotation from Lee or Disney+ was included in the SportsWorld report. Its photograph was credited to Walt Disney Company Korea, and the casting was reported as confirmed, rather than as a rumour or an offer under discussion.
The reunion is likely to draw the most attention. Lee and Shin Min-a last worked together in ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha,’ which aired on tvN in 2021. In ‘The Remarried Empress,’ the relationship is recast in a formal hierarchy, with one woman as empress and the other as the head maid charged with protecting her interests, testing a different chemistry built on trust and discretion.
Lee has continued to work across drama, film and theatre. She completed the first performance of the play ‘Enemy’ at the Sejong Center’s M Theater on October 28, and she is set to appear in tvN’s new Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Gift,’ scheduled to begin on December 5.
‘The Remarried Empress’ is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on November 4, with ten episodes in total. Its first three episodes were screened in advance at the Busan International Film Festival. For viewers, how the two performers handle that quiet, protective relationship will be one of the early things to watch.
