Genie, Make a Wish


Genie, Make a Wish is a 2025 South Korean fantasy romantic comedy Netflix original series written by Kim Eun-sook, directed by Ahn Gil-ho, and starring Kim Woo-bin, Bae Suzy, Ahn Eun-jin, Noh Sang-hyun, Ko Kyu-pil, and Lee Joo-young. It was released on Netflix on October 3, 2025.

Synopsis

A genie named Iblis is freed from his lamp after 983 years. He was imprisoned as a result of the actions of a woman named Ka-young, in a past life. Ka-young has been a psychopath from birth, and her life is a monotonous routine, controlled by her grandmother's strict rules. She struggles to survive and grapples with complicated emotional problems. When she meets Iblis, both of their lives are changed forever. Iblis has been looking for Ka-young's soul to reincarnate. He is eager to wreak vengeance on her, for unintentionally imprisoning him. Iblis grants Ka-young three wishes, and their journey is filled with both conflict and comedy.

Cast and characters

Main

Supporting

Special appearances

Production

The series was announced by Hwa&Dam Pictures on June 14, 2023 with Kim Eun-sook as writer, Lee Byeong-heon as director, and Kim Woo-bin and Suzy as the protagonists; this marked the second collaboration between the two actors after Uncontrollably Fond in 2016. In May 2024, Netflix announced that it had acquired the rights to distribute the series and confirmed the casting of Ahn Eun-jin, Noh Sang-hyun, Ko Kyu-pil, and Lee Joo-young. Director Lee Byeong-heon later stepped down from the project due to personal reasons and was replaced by Ahn Gil-ho.
Filming was wrapped up on October 24, 2024. Some scenes were shot in Dubai in February 2024.

Promotion and release

On February 4, 2025, during the event 'Next on Netflix 2025 Korea' which took place at the Fairmont Ambassador in Yeouido, Seoul, Netflix unveiled Genie, Make a Wish as part of the 2025 line-up. On the same day, promotional images confirmed that it would be distributed in the fourth quarter; the actual release date, October 3, was announced in August in conjunction with the release of the poster and the teaser trailer. On August 28, a second poster and the main trailer were unveiled. Another trailer was released on September 18.
On September 29, a press conference was held with the main actors. The next day, Kim Woo-bin and Suzy gave an ASMR interview to Netflix Korea accompanied by some games; the actress also promoted Genie, Make a Wish on singer Jo Hyun-a's YouTube show Ordinary Thursday Night and chef Sung Anh's Ahn's Guide to Doneness. On the day of the release, Suzy and Lee Joo-young participated in Hyell's Club with Lee Hye-ri.

Reception

During the week of October 6–12, 2025, Genie, Make a Wish was Netflix's most-watched non-English series with 8 million views; it also entered the top 10 in 50 countries and topped the charts in 10 territories, including Hong Kong, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic. According to data collected by Good Data Corporation, it was the most-discussed OTT drama online in South Korea for the first two weeks of October, during which time Suzy and Kim Woo-bin ranked first and second, respectively, in the same actor rankings.
The use of Iblis, a demonic figure in Islam, as the protagonist drew mixed reactions from viewers and commentators. On the one hand, Muslim viewers accused the production of cultural insensitivity, while critics claimed it distorted a religious concept for entertainment purposes. On the other hand, it was noted that popular culture often draws inspiration from Christian figures such as Satan without generating similar controversy, and the series was praised for allowing Koreans to approach Islamic culture in a more familiar way.