SBS new Fri-Sat drama 'Taxi Driver 3' director Kang Bo-seung offered remarks about his directing ahead of the new season's premiere.
SBS new Fri-Sat drama 'Taxi Driver 3' (written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Kang Bo-seung) is a series based on the webtoon of the same name, a private revenge agency drama in which the veil-shrouded taxi company Rainbow Transportation and taxi driver Kim Do-gi complete revenge on behalf of wronged victims. Not only did the previous season rank fifth (21%) among all domestic terrestrial and cable dramas aired since 2023 in viewership, but last year it also earned the top honor for best drama series at the 28th Asian Television Awards (ATA), Asia's most prestigious media awards, so expectations are gathering for a new season of the unquestionably mega-hit IP 'Taxi Driver'.
Among them, director Kang Bo-seung of 'Taxi Driver 3' drew attention by sharing his feelings about directing season 3. Director Kang Bo-seung served as assistant director during 'Taxi Driver' season 1 and helped build the current 'Taxi Driver' universe. Regarding this, Kang said, "I didn't expect to do season 3," adding, "Although it became a hit series, as someone who was with 'Taxi Driver' from the start, I tried not to forget the modest goals and small sincerity the drama had when it first began." He also hinted at the birth of season 3, saying, "I was glad to take on directing season 3 and to be able to work with writer Oh Sang-ho from the process of creating the script for episode 1 to discussions about the subject matter and genre of the final episode."
Director Kang also revealed changes in season 3. He said, "The fact that the five members of Rainbow remain in their places unchanged is the best point of the 'Taxi Driver' series," adding, "They don't suddenly change personalities or relationships, and Do-gi's combat ability remains the same. To maximize outcomes with such constants, I decided we should increase the variables. Ultimately, what differs from previous seasons is that the villainous figures in society have changed." He explained, "Because Do-gi's secondary character and action, which change according to various villains, are viewing points of 'Taxi Driver', we paid great attention to constructing the villain characters in each case. As part of that build-up, we also put a lot of artistic effort into directing the spaces of the villains that form the background of the incidents. We tried to position the camera simply and precisely so that the excellent acting energy of the actors who joined as villains would not dissipate," raising expectations for the amplified activities of the Rainbow five alongside the appearance of even more powerful villains.
Meanwhile, the 'Taxi Driver' series has elicited viewers' empathy each season with episode incidents that recall reality. Regarding this, director Kang said, "The part I was most concerned about when directing incident episodes was motivation." He said, "I pondered a lot over 'If the people punishing villains are not police officers whose job is to catch criminals but taxi company employees, what kind of motivation would they need to pursue and punish wrongdoers?' I ultimately decided that a hero's motive would be emotion. I think a hero is a being in whom the emotion of a sense of justice—something that should exist though not present in reality—is embodied. So, instead of referring to characters as victims in past episodes, this time we tried to call them survivors whenever possible and direct their narratives more deeply. I thought that only when those emotional portrayals are well built would the activities of 'Taxi Driver' gain legitimacy and the thrill increase," he added.
Finally, director Kang praised the chemistry with the 'Rainbow five'—Lee Je-hoon (Kim Do-gi), Kim Eui-sung (Representative Jang), Pyo Ye-jin (Go Eun), Jang Hyuk-jin (Chief Choi), and Bae Yoo-ram (Assistant Park)—saying, "Thanks to their excellent teamwork, they move so quickly that they shorten filming time," as he showed affection by giving them a thumbs-up.
He also shared season 3's viewing points, emphasizing, "I tried to direct each episode in a slightly different way. I chose a 'key color' that metaphorically represents the core of each episode so that each episode is represented and remembered by a specific color. I hope viewers also enjoy the pleasure of seeing various genres that are varied according to the nature of each episode," raising interest to a peak ahead of the upcoming first broadcast of 'Taxi Driver 3'.
[Photo] Provided by SBS
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