Korean hit movie to be reborn as Chinese version

Published : May 27, 2014 - 20:50 Updated : May 27, 2014 - 20:53

"Miss Granny," a South Korean film that topped the local box office early this year, will be made into a new movie tailored for the vast Chinese market, the film's copyright holder said Tuesday.

CJ E&M said the filming for the Chinese adaptation of the comedy will begin next month for release in the Chinese market.

The new film, titled "20th Year, Once Again," will be co-produced by CJ E&M and a Chinese studio and directed by rising Chinese filmmaker Leste Chen, who is best known for "The Heirloom" (2005) and "The Great Hypnotist" (2014), CJ said.

The official poster of "Miss Granny (2014)."

Starring actress Shim Eun-kyung, "Miss Granny" is about a 70-something grandmother who suddenly recovers her physical appearance of her 20s after visiting a mysterious photo studio. The comedy, which opened in local theaters in January, attracted about 8.65 million moviegoers.

The Chinese-language film will star Chinese actresses Zi-Shan Yang and Kuei Ya-lei, according to CJ.

The company, however, stressed that "20th Year, Once Again" would not be a remake of the Korean film.

The upcoming flick is "a differentiated romantic-fantasy comedy that has never been seen in the Chinese market," a company official said. "It set 'Miss Granny' as a motive but will be adapted and produced to suit the taste of Chinese viewers."

"We have more chances of succeeding in overseas markets when we do joint film projects with other countries rather than simply exporting homegrown films," the official said. "We're going to hold various joint projects with such countries as Vietnam and Indonesia with high potential for growth in addition to China in the future." (Yonhap)