Zig Zag’s Danny Fenton, Masked Singer creator Wonwoo Park team for new football format

Wonwoo Park, left, and Danny Fenton

South Korean production company Diturn, founded by Wonwoo Park, creator of The Masked Singer, is pairing with London indie Zig Zag Productions on a new football format for South Korean streamer Coupang.

Next Legend is an international football talent series created by Zig Zag founder Danny Fenton and Park after the pair attended a football match together in Seoul, where the original idea for the series was born.

The show was subsequently commissioned by Coupang, marking a major international format sale for Zig Zag and the first successful coproduction with Diturn.

The format sets out to discover the next breakout star of Korean football, following a group of elite young players as they compete for the chance to earn opportunities in European football. The series features former Spurs and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, who is attached as on-screen talent, lending his experience of elite European competition to the project.

Production took place across South Korea and the UK, with the shortlisted Korean players travelling to England as part of the series. During their UK leg, the team trained at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground and competed in matches against the Southampton and Sunderland academy teams.

Zig Zag CEO Fenton said: “Next Legend is a brilliant example of how great formats can come from genuine creative collaboration. What started as a conversation at a football match in Seoul has become a fully realised international series with real ambition and authenticity. Working with Wonwoo and the team at Diturn, alongside Coupang and Gareth Bale, has been an outstanding experience.”

Park added: “Football is a global language, and Next Legend was designed to reflect that. Partnering with Zig Zag allowed us to build a format that feels authentic in Korea while connecting directly to the European game. This project represents exactly the kind of international collaboration we want to pursue.”

Zig Zag has become known for football related formats including BT Sport’s Ultimate Goal and CBBC’s Football Academy.