Daniel Dae Kim to Star in and Executive Produce Spy Thriller from 3AD and BOOM! Studios
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 24, 2023) – Prime Video has ordered BUTTERFLY to series, from Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD and BOOM! Studios, publisher of the original graphic novel created by Arash Amel, written by Arash Amel and Marguerite Bennet, and illustrated by Antonio Fuso and Stefano Simeone.
Daniel Dae Kim will star as the lead in the 6 episode series, with Ken Woodruff (The Mentalist, Gotham) set as showrunner and co-creator for the adaptation alongside acclaimed Korean-American novelist Steph Cha (Your House Will Pay).
BUTTERFLY is a character-driven spy thriller that explores complex family dynamics within the treacherous world of global espionage. It’s centered on David Jung, an enigmatic, highly unpredictable former US intelligence operative living in South Korea, whose life is blown to pieces when the consequences of an impossible decision from his past come back to haunt him, and he finds himself pursued by Rebecca, a deadly, sociopathic young agent assigned to kill him.
Executive producers include Ken Woodruff and Steph Cha; Daniel Dae Kim and John Cheng for 3AD; Stephen Christy and Ross Richie for BOOM! Studios; and Arash Amel for The Amel Company. Additionally, Adam Yoelin serves as Co-EP for BOOM! Studios. Kim’s production company, 3AD developed the series under their first-look deal with Amazon Studios.
BUTTERFLY will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The series will go into production after all guild negotiations have been resolved.
For continuing news on BUTTERFLY and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
3AD:
3AD was established by Daniel Dae Kim in 2015 to produce premier content for TV, film, and digital media. Committed to storytelling featuring characters and cultures traditionally underrepresented, 3AD produced projects include the hit series The Good Doctor (ABC / SONY) and the critically acclaimed documentary film, Bad Axe. Led by Kim and Head of Development, John Cheng, the company is currently under a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios.
BOOM! Studios:
BOOM! Studios controls the largest library of comic book IP outside of Marvel and DC Comics. The company has produced bestselling, award-winning original work including Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR, Something is Killing the Children, Lumberjanes, Irredeemable, and Mouse Guard. BOOM! Studios’ forthcoming TV productions include Mech Cadets on Netflix and Hex Vets on Nickelodeon. Please visit www.boom-studios.com for more information.
Daniel Dae Kim Bio:
Daniel Dae Kim has captivated global audiences with his transformative performances across film, television and theater. He continues to evolve his body of work in powerful roles and compelling narratives as an actor, director and producer.
Most recently, Kim completed principal photography on Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, where he plays “Fire Lord Ozai.” He also starred in an episode of Apple’s female driven anthology series, Roar, opposite Betty Gilpin, as well as starring in an episode of BJ Novak’s anthology series The Premise for FX and Hulu.
He also appeared as his first series lead in National Geographic’s scripted anthology series, The Hot Zone: Anthrax. Based on the domestic terror attacks following 9/11, Kim stars as the federal agent Matthew Ryker, opposite Tony Goldwyn.
On the big screen, Kim can be seen in Joe Penna’s Stowaway, opposite Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick, available on Netflix. He also recently lent his vocal talents to Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon, which also features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Benedict Wong, and Sandra Oh.
In 2015, Kim forged a new path in his career by creating his own production company, 3AD. With a first look deal with Amazon Studios, 3AD strives to feature those traditionally underrepresented in front of, and behind the camera. 3AD has had five successful seasons producing the ABC hit The Good Doctor, which Kim adapted from a Korean format about a doctor with autism and serves as executive producer, and has a slate of projects in development, including a highly anticipated heist movie with Randall Park.
The prolific actor is a longtime champion of increased diversity and Asian American representation in Hollywood, and has served as an important voice throughout the current surge of violence towards people of Asian descent. Recently he was named to a 25 member White House Commission tasked with making recommendations to the President regarding issues affecting the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community (WHIIANHPI). He also serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee for The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), the first ever national organization of its kind dedicated to encouraging the pursuit of belonging and prosperity for the AAPI community, free from violence and discrimination. His work as an advocate has been documented in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, MSNBC and the ground-breaking five-part PBS documentary, Asian Americans.
Prior to his seven-season portrayal of Chin Ho Kelly on the juggernaut series Hawaii Five-0, Kim was perhaps best known for his role as Jin Soo Kwon on the hit TV series Lost, for which he shared a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble and was individually honored with an AZN Asian Excellence Award, a Multicultural Prism Award and a Vanguard Award from the Korean American Coalition, all for Outstanding Performance by an Actor. He has been repeatedly recognized with the prestigious KoreAm Driven Award in the field of Arts and Entertainment.
In 2016, Kim received a Broadway Beacon Award for his role as the King of Siam in Lincoln Center’s Tony Award-winning production of The King and I, as well as the Theater Legacy Award from New York’s Pan Asian Repertory Theater.
Previous credits include the films: Hellboy, Insurgent, Allegiant, The Jackal, For The Love of The Game, The Hulk, Spider-Man 2, as well as the Academy Award® winning film Crash. Previous television credits include: The Legend of Kora, Flack, New Amsterdam, Crusade, and 24.
Kim has also lent his voice talents to animated series and films, such as the award-winning Studio Ghibli film, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, as well as the PBS nature documentary series, Big Pacific. Kim has also voiced characters for several video games, most notably, Johnny Gat in the bestselling series, Saints Row.
Born in Busan, South Korea, and raised in New York and Pennsylvania, Kim discovered acting while a student at Haverford College. After graduation, he moved to New York City, where he began his career on stage, performing in classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Ivanov and A Doll’s House. Despite early success, he chose to further his knowledge of the craft by enrolling in New York University’s Graduate Acting Program, where he earned his Master’s Degree.
When not working, Kim and his family make their home in Hawaii.
Ken Woodruff Bio:
Ken Woodruff is the creator and executive producer of The Enemy Within, as well as executive producer of Gotham, and La Brea, which was just renewed for a third season on NBC.
Steph Cha Bio:
Steph Cha is the author of Your House Will Pay, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the California Book Award, and the Juniper Song crime trilogy. She’s a critic whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, where she served as noir editor, and is the current series editor of the Best American Mystery & Suspense anthology. A native of the San Fernando Valley, she lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Arash Amel Bio:
Arash Amel is the screenwriter of the critically lauded motion picture A Private War, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare with Guy Ritchie directing and Jerry Bruckheimer producing.
Rep Info:
Daniel & 3AD are repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. BOOM! is repped by UTA and Matt Saver. Ken Woodruff is repped by Jared Levine. Steph Cha is repped by UTA. Amel is repped by Grandview and David Fox.