[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Min Jin-ki and writer Yoon Ki-young, creators of the “New Recruit” series, are teaming up again for their next project, “Sunning Baseball Team.” The duo, who have enjoyed box office success with slice-of-life comedies set in the military, are drawing attention this time by shifting the setting to an amateur baseball team.

“Rookie 4: Sabotage,” currently streaming on ENA, Genie TV, and TVING, is setting new records as the series’ highest-performing installment to date. The viewership rating for Episode 7 rose to 4.6%, and the series has ranked No. 1 on TVING for three consecutive weeks. It also secured second place in the TV-OTT combined buzz survey for the first week of September, reaffirming the strength of seasonal IPs.
Riding this momentum, Director Min Jin-ki and writer Yoon Ki-young are teaming up with Story Island to produce “The Sunny Baseball Team.” Set against the backdrop of an amateur baseball team, “The Sunny Baseball Team” is a human drama that depicts the lives and solidarity of ordinary family men, along with the humor that unfolds within that setting. Oh Jung-se, Jeon Hye-jin, Park Ji-hwan, Joo Hyun-young, Joo Jong-hyuk, Lee Sang-jin, and Bae Yoon-kyung have been confirmed for the cast, and preparations are underway with the goal of beginning filming by the end of the year.
What stands out is that rather than simply replicating the formula that made *New Recruit* a hit, the series will take the strengths of its down-to-earth characters and ensemble drama and transplant them into a new setting. While *New Recruit* drew laughter and empathy from the closed-off environment of the military, *The Sunning Baseball Team* brings to the forefront the relationships of ordinary people connected by baseball outside of work and home. Ultimately, both works center on the authenticity of everyday life and teamwork among relatable characters rather than grand heroes, suggesting that the production team’s distinctive style will carry over.
Story Island is also expanding its drama lineup, building on the success of *New Recruit*. Casting is currently underway for upcoming projects, including the comic romance *Hi, Light!*, written by Go Nam-jeong of *The Story of a Chaste Woman: A Contract Marriage*, and the romantic fantasy *Miracle*, presented by Choi Kyung-sun of *No Secrets*.
The company’s business scope extends beyond dramas. It has produced Mnet’s “Street World Fighter: Director’s War,” as well as YouTube shows such as “Yongtaro” and “Mockery Party,” and the commerce variety show “The Boss Has Gone Crazy.” Most recently, it released “Ice Blood,” a 100% in-house produced AI short-form drama. They are also preparing Lee Kyung-kyu’s “The Lonely Fisherman” for Channel A’s YouTube channel and the FMV game “Medieval Witches Live in My Basement.”
A representative from Story Island stated, “From the second half of 2026 through 2028, we plan to expand our existing IPs and launch a lineup of killer content in the drama sector,” adding, “We will continuously discover and nurture emerging producers and writers across all genres—variety shows, dramas, films, and new media—to present works that align with new content trends.”