EXCLUSIVE: The Disney+ and Hulu Korean spy drama Tempest has added John Cho (Star Trek), Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer), Alicia Hannah-Kim (Cobra Kai) and Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai) to its cast, Deadline has learned. They join the previously announced leads Gianna Jun and Gang Dongwon.
Disney+ and Hulu tease “assassinations, political games, conspiracies and spies will collide” in 2025 when Tempest premieres in the United States. Production is currently underway in Seoul.
From writer Chung Seokyung (Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden), Tempest follows Seo Munju (Gianna Jun), a highly accomplished diplomat and former ambassador to the United States, and Sanho (Gang Dongwon), an international special agent shrouded in a veil of secrets, as they race to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula.
Details regarding who Cho, Gorham, Hannah-Kim and Bertrand will portray are under wraps.
Tempest is directed by Kim Heewon (Queen of Tears, Little Women) and co-directed by Korean martial arts director Heo Myunghaeng (The Outlaws 4). The series is produced by Imaginus, Showrunners, Studio AA and Action School.
Cho can next be seen in the upcoming sci-fi horror film Afraid opposite Katherine Waterston which opens on August 30. He is best known for his portrayal of Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek (2009) and its two sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016) and Harold Lee in the Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg hit comedy Harold & Kumar franchise led by Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). His recent credits include HBO’s The Sympathizer, The Afterparty for Apple TV+, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop and Fox’s The Exorcist for TV. His film credits include Don’t Make Me Go (2022), The Grudge (2019) and The Graduates, which he also executive produced.
Tempest reunites Cho and Gorham, who starred in the ABC series Ugly Betty.
Gorham most recently starred in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer. Before that, he had series regular roles in Netflix’s Insatiable, USA’s Covert Affairs and The WB’s Popular. He is best known for his portrayal of Henry Grubstick in Ugly Betty opposite America Ferrera.
Hannah-Kim most recently starred as Sensei Kim Da-eun in seasons 5 and 6 of Cobra Kai, a continuation of The Karate Kid story starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. Hannah-Kim co-starred in the drama series alongside Bertrand. Cobra Kai was No. 1 on TV globally in its debut week on Netflix with nearly 15M views. Since then, its viewership doubled its viewership for Season 6A. Before that, she recurred in Max’s Minx.
Bertrand is currently starring in Netflix’s Cobra Kai as Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz, a role he’s portrayed across the show’s six seasons. His prior credits include lead roles in Max’s Batwheels, Disney Channel’s The Swap and for Nickelodeon, Jinxed and Marvin Marvin.