The Remarried Empress

About this title

The 10-episode Disney+ Original is a romance fantasy adapted from Alphatart's web novel and the Naver Webtoon series based on it: when Emperor Sovieshu tells Navier, empress of the Eastern Empire, that he wants a divorce, she agrees on the condition that her remarriage to Heinrey, prince of the Western Kingdom, be approved.

Disney+ will release episodes 1–4 on November 4, 2026, followed by two episodes every Wednesday until the final episode on November 25, and in the United States the series will also be available on Hulu. The Disney+ Korea page rates it 15+. Ahead of its official release, it was invited to the On Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival in October, where a 151-minute cut combining episodes 1–3 had its world premiere. Alphatart began serializing the original web novel on Naver Series in November 2018, and the webtoon version began serialization in Naver Webtoon's Friday lineup on October 25, 2019. When Disney+ confirmed the series in June 2025, it put the original webtoon's global cumulative views at about 2.6 billion (as of December 2024), and when it announced the release date in August 2026, at 2.97 billion (as of July 2026).

The series is directed by Jo Soo-won, who made the SBS dramas I Can Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio and Still 17. The screenplay was co-written by Yeo Ji-na and Hyun Chung-yeol. Yeo wrote episodes 1–12 of OCN's The Uncanny Counter (2020–2021). Studio N produced the series. The production team kept the main characters' names from the original and its Western-style court setting rather than changing them to Korean ones. Filming was reported to have begun in the Czech Republic in June 2025, and after scouting castles in France, Germany and the Czech Republic, the team chose Schleissheim Palace in Germany as a main filming location.

Shin Min-a plays Navier, empress of the Eastern Empire; Ju Ji-hoon plays Emperor Sovieshu; Lee Jong-suk plays Heinrey, prince of the Western Kingdom and first in line to its throne; and Lee Se-young plays Rashta, a runaway slave. The teaser trailer released in August 2026 showed the imperial couple's relationship shaken by Rashta's arrival, and the four characters' relationships becoming entangled once Heinrey appears. Lee Bong-ryun plays Eliza, head lady-in-waiting of the Western Palace where Navier lives and the only person Navier confides in; Choi Dae-hoon plays Heinrey's secretary McKenna; Park Ho-san plays Viscount Lotteshu, Rashta's former master; and Jung Young-joo and Nam Yoon-ho also appear. At the script reading held on May 13, 2025, Shin Min-a said she felt nervous but also excited because the work has a beloved original, and Ju Ji-hoon said he thought it could deliver a fresh dose of dopamine.

According to reports, all three screenings at the Busan International Film Festival sold out. At the audience Q&A after the October 9 screening, director Jo Soo-won admitted to being a little afraid of the original's fans and expressed hope that any awkward or cringeworthy moments could be overcome little by little; explaining the choice of Western-style costumes and settings, Jo said the aim was to portray a world in which the name “Navier” could be spoken naturally. At the same event, Ju Ji-hoon said that although he had some difficulty early in filming, once he began thinking of it like a play or a musical, he felt he could blend naturally into the world of the story. At an outdoor stage greeting the next day, Shin Min-a described Navier as a character who is dignified and graceful as an empress while making her own choices as a woman, and Lee Jong-suk said that because Korean actors are presenting a romance fantasy, it might feel unfamiliar, but that it would be all the more distinctive and fun for it. Disney+ said the main trailer, released simultaneously with subtitles and dubbing in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil and elsewhere, passed 13 million cumulative views within 48 hours.

Drama Lineup editors · Fact-checked against: starnewskorea.com, biff.kr, mt.co.kr, webtoonguide.com, enews.imbc.com, osen.co.kr, isplus.com, v.daum.net, disneyplus.com · 2026-10-16