Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, Nana Star in Netflix's "The Scandal," a Joseon-Era "Dangerous Liaisons"

Netflix has set September 18 as the premiere date for its upcoming Korean series "The Scandal," a Joseon-era reimagining of the classic French novel "Dangerous Liaisons." A teaser poster and trailer were released alongside the announcement, offering a first look at the drama's tangle of desire and manipulation.

The series stars Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana. Son plays Lady Jo, a woman whose sharp mind and ambitions strain against the limits placed on Joseon-era women. Ji plays Jo-won, described as Joseon's most notorious playboy. The two make a bold and dangerous wager over love. Nana plays Hui-yeon, the young woman who becomes the unwitting target of that bet.

Director Jung Ji-woo, known for films such as "Eungyo" and "Intrusion," is at the helm of the series. The project moves Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel into 18th-century Korea and reworks it through a modern lens.

"I didn't want a simple melodrama structure," Jung said. "I built the story around characters who carry a modern sense of self, characters asking 'Who am I?'" Working from the source material, "The Scandal" centers on figures who push against the strict codes of Joseon society and chase what they are not supposed to want.

The teaser poster places the three leads inside carefully staged tableaux. Lady Jo sits in an inner chamber blanketed in red blossoms, her presence cutting against the image of a proper noblewoman. Jo-won is surrounded by figures pulled from classic miindo portraits of beautiful women, playing up his reputation as a seducer. Hui-yeon stands among plum blossoms in full bloom, her expression quietly sorrowful. The tagline reads, "Covet what you cannot have."

The teaser trailer opens the door on the wager itself, set to shake the aristocratic Bukchon neighborhood. Lady Jo proposes the bet. Jo-won accepts. Hui-yeon, unaware she has been made the target, shows a flicker of fear. Jo-won begins to approach her, while Lady Jo watches from a distance. The tension between the three tightens with every scene. Joseon-era interiors, costumes and staging give the drama a rich period atmosphere.

"The Scandal" premieres September 18 on Netflix.