The Manipulated
The Manipulated is a 2025 South Korean revenge action crime thriller television series written by, directed by Park Shin-woo and Kim Chang-ju, and starring Ji Chang-wook, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-su, and Lee Kwang-soo. It depicts the story of an ordinary man whose life is abruptly shattered for being wrongly accused of a major crime, but returns to pursue a bloody vengeance after discovering it was a fabrication. The series premiered with 4 episodes on Disney+ as a Hulu original series on November 5, 2025, as the Star content hub was replaced by Hulu on October 8, 2025.
Synopsis
It follows an ordinary man, Park Tae-jung, whose life takes a drastic turn when he is wrongfully accused of a heinous crime and sent to prison. After discovering that everything was orchestrated by An Yo-han, he sets out on a path of revenge.Cast and characters
Main
- Ji Chang-wook as Park Tae-jung
- Doh Kyung-soo as An Yo-han
- Kim Jong-soo as No Yong-sik
- Jo Yoon-su as No Eun-bi
- Lee Kwang-soo as Baek Do-kyoung
Supporting
Guan Prison
- Yang Dong-geun as Yeo Deok-su
- Kim Jae-chul as Yang Chul-hwan
- Eum Moon-suk as Do Gang-jae
- Lee Jae-kyoon as Koo Ji-yong
- Lee Seo-hwan as Park Han-hee
Others
- Kim Joong-hee as Kim Sang-rak
- Ahn Ji-ho as Park Tae-jin
- Kwon Da-ham as Woo-jong
- Kim Jung-heon as Jung-soo
- Lee Suk-hyeong as Dae-hoon
- Han Ji-hyo as Lee Sun-ah
- Son Jong-hak as Baek Sang-man
- Lim Hwa-young as So Hyun-jung
- Lee Sung-woo as Hwang Il-guk
- Lee Hyun-jin as Ching Li
- Kim Min as Yoo Seon-gyu
- Do Hyun-jin as Han-byeol
Special appearances
- Pyo Ye-jin as Song Su-ji
- Lee Jong-hyun as a sports car driver
- Lee Jae-won as a prosecutor
- Bae Na-ra as Woo Min-hyung
- Jeong In-gi as Yo-han's nanny
- Park Mi-hyun as Do-kyoung's mother
Production
Development
The series was developed by the film division of CJENM, It was produced by Studio Dragon and Simplex Films with a production budget of 35 billion won. It was written by, who also wrote the series Taxi Driver. It is based on the film Fabricated City, which Oh Sang-ho co-wrote. In November 2024, Disney+ announced official English name for the series.Casting
On November 13, 2023, Ji Chang-wook and Doh Kyung-soo were confirmed to be cast in the roles of the main characters.Jo Yoon-su announced her casting in series in September 2024. In October 2024, news outlets revealed that Pyo Ye-jin was cast as Ji Chang-wook's love interest. In November same year, Lee Kwang-soo's agency King Kong by Starship confirmed his appearance in series as Baek Do-kyung.