Netflix has another bona fide hit on its hands: after coming out on Friday, May 12, the new Korean post-apocalypse action series quickly became a hit with fans.
At the time of writing, the show sits around 90% on Rotten Tomatoes both for fans and critics, in a rare example of viewers on the platform uniting in score. So could a second season be on the way? We'll have to wait to find out because Netflix hasn't said anything, but the story definitely leaves scope for it.
Black Knight combines the dystopian setting of Mad Max with the drama of Train To Busan; it's set 50 years in the future, after a meteor strike destroy's the world's atmosphere and people need respirators to breath outdoors.
The show follows a courier and vigilante who wants to upset the world order, and the friends they make along the way.
There's been plenty of high-quality Korean content from Netflix recently with Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, The Glory and Extraordinary Attorney Woo all sitting in the service's list of the top 10 most popular non-English shows of all time, and we have a guide to the best Korean dramas on Netflix which is constantly growing.
Hopefully we'll be able to add Black Knight to that ranking when it comes out; here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Netflix show.
Black Knight release date
Black Knight came out on Netflix on Friday, May 12, with all six episodes landing at the same time.
Black Knight plot
Black Knight is set in a post-apocalyptic Korea of the year 2071, after 99% of the population is dead and air pollution has turned the country into a barren and ruined desert wasteland. The survivors require respirators to breathe outside, and much of the world is ruled by Cheonmyeong, a corporation that controls the supply of oxygen.
The titular character of Black Knight is 5-8, a delivery man who thrives in a society that depends on couriers like him to transport goods through the dangerous wasteland. However, he's also a vigilante, the Black Knight, who works to try to take down Cheonmyeong and upset the corporation's repressive society.
5-8 befriends Sa-wol, a refugee who wants to become a transporter himself, as well as Seol-ah, a soldier who has ties to Sa-wol, and many other friends and allies as he tries to save the world.
Black Knight trailer
Netflix released a trailer for Black Knight on Wednesday, April 27. It introduces us to our cast and the world of the show, and teases many, many action scenes.
Black Knight cast
There are four main characters in Black Knight.
Kim Woo-bin plays 5-8, otherwise known as the Black Knight, and he's a reputable courier and also a vigilante bent on taking down an evil corporation. You might have seen Woo-bin in Our Blues which is another Netflix show, as well as Korean shows School and Heirs.
5-8 comes across Sa-wol, played by Kang Yoo-seok — Sa-wol is a refugee who dreams of being a courier just like 5-8, and so fastens himself to his hero. Yoo-seok has been in TV shows like Melting Me Softly, Beyond Evil and Payback.
Sa-wol is only alive because of Seol-ah, played by Esom, a military intelligence officer who saved him in the past. Esom, the stage name for Lee So-young, could be familiar to Netflix users for her role in the recent Cannes-debuting movie Kill Boksoon and she's also been in Phantom, Scarlet Innocence and Samjin Company English Class.
Finally, we have Ryu Seok, played by Song Seung-heon, and Ryu is the heir to the evil Cheonmyeong Group which is controlling the world. Seung-heon is perhaps the most prolific actor of the major cast and some of his big credits include Law Firm, Edeonui dongjjok and You and I.
