With the recent huge success of Korean movies and dramas, more and more English remake projects have been announced.
It is the rising global interest in K-content that leads to the “remake boom” in Hollywood. In particular, more and more Korean producers and stars appearing in original works are actively participating in the entire production process of several adaptations from the planning stage, raising high expectations.
The remake version of “The Merciless” and “Extreme Job”, in which “comedy star” Kevin Hart was earlier confirmed to play the main character, will be co-produced by Korean investor and distributor CJ ENM and Universal Pictures, the major studio of Hollywood.
CJ ENM is also participating in the adaptation project of “Save the Green Planet”, which was released in 2003. In particular, Jang Joon-hwan, the original movie’s director, drew attention as he will direct the remake film himself.
Ma Dong-seok will lead the creative group “Team Gorilla” together with Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Pictures to produce the remake of the 2019 film “The Gangster, the Cop, the Evil”, in which he starred. The actor will play the role of a gangster group’s boss again. Ma Dong-seok is reportedly participating in the production and cast of “The Club”, a Hollywood remake of OCN’s drama “Trap”.
Bong Joon-ho and Jung Byung-gil, who directed the original version of “Parasite” and “The Villainess”, respectively, will join the production process of the two films’ English drama remake version. The adaptation of tvN’s drama “Crash Landing on You”, starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, will also be jointly planned and developed by Korean producers of Studio Dragon and Netflix U.S.
Movie critic Yoon Seong-eun said on March 7th, “Previously, people often commented that Hollywood did not produce the movies/ dramas properly although the remake rights were already sold to them or the adaptations they presented lacked completeness”, adding, “However, as Korean production teams have recently actively participated in remake projects, high expectations for completeness have naturally been raised”.
This reflects the increased global status of K-content, such as Korean movies and dramas. Critic Yoon analyzed, “The rapid achievement and development of Korean video content in recent years have led to requests for not only copyright sales but also collaborations”.
Deadline, a major media outlet in the U.S, also wrote, “The success of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game’ was the main factor behind the series of Hollywood remakes of Korean content”
