Dramabeans » Hollywood

Colin Firth signs on to Park Chan-wook film

javabeans — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:24:24 +0000

Park Chan-wook’s big Hollywood debut project Stoker has got some hefty A-list stars attached, the latest being Academy Award winner Colin Firth, who plays a vampire. From Darcy, to king, to the bloodthirsty undead? Interesting choice…

Firth joins Nicole Kidman and fast-rising star Mia Wasikowska (The Kids Are All Right), as the uncle who suddenly appears after Wasikowska’s father dies. Kidman plays the girl’s mother, the widow. The movie is reportedly inspired by the story of Dracula, according to scriptwriter (and Prison Break star) Wentworth Miller — not in a blood-sucker way, necessarily, but in its interpretation as a “sad love story.”

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Hollywood to remake Hello Ghost

girlfriday — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:07:12 +0000

Looks like Hello Ghost is on a roll. The dark comedy starring Cha Tae-hyun as a suicidal man who gets saddled with a couple of invasive ghosts was a huge box office success in Korea, selling over 3 million tickets in two months. And after being exported stateside, it’s already been snatched up for a Hollywood makeover.

Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Home Alone) is set to direct and produce the remake with 1492 Pictures. What, am I gonna complain? The man wrote The Goonies, for crying out loud.

Columbus is reportedly a fan of Korean cinema, and told Deadline: “After watching Hello Ghost I was immediately struck by the film’s ability to mix comedy, drama and complex emotional themes. Its strong universal storyline translates to any culture, and I’m looking forward to bringing a version of this wonderful story to the English-speaking audience.”

Jang Kyung-ik, VP of Hello Ghost‘s distributor Next Entertainment World, said, “We have gladly accepted his offer knowing that he is the guru of family comedy films, and someone who has a solid fan base throughout all ages.”

I’ve been dying to see this for the last two months, but just haven’t gotten there yet. Perhaps if I had a ghost or two on my back about it, I’d get on it. Wait. That wasn’t an invitation!

Via Star News, Deadline

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© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 40 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cha Tae-hyun, Hollywood, remakes

Park Chan-wook’s Hollywood debut

girlfriday — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:36:16 +0000

Master of the psychologically disturbed dark thriller, director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Thirst) is poised to direct his first film in Hollywood, starring…Jodie Foster? I’m trying to wrap my head around Park Chan-wook directing Jodie Foster…hm…does anyone else think that if they remake Old Boy, they should make HER the star? And have him direct? Now THAT’s a thing I’d like to see.

The thriller stars Carey Mulligan (An Education, Pride and Prejudice) alongside Foster, as a young woman whose uncle reappears in her life in the wake of her father’s death. Nothing in the premise to suggest anything otherworldly, but there is reportedly a supernatural element in the story.

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Old Boy Hollywood remake gains traction

girlfriday — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:11:30 +0000

There have been talks of a Hollywood remake of Park Chan-wook‘s hallmark revenge thriller Old Boy for some time now, but the project was stuck in legal battles over the rights to the original story, from the Japanese manga of the same name. But with that dispute finally settled (to the tune of how many millions, I wonder), Old Boy is back on track to be the next big Hallyu-Hollywood crossover. Will it survive the process and actually become a watchable movie? Or will it die a slow death and get lost in translation?

Three big names are being bandied about in contention for the remake: Steven Spielberg, who has been attached as producer and possible director for some time now, Matthew Vaughn (Kick-ass, Layer Cake), and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting). I’d vote for either of the latter two, if I had my druthers, since they have more of an indie edge and will un-slick the Hollywood sheen off of the remake. I think Danny Boyle in particular could do something very urban and gritty with the source material, while creating something other than a carbon copy.

Because who needs a carbon copy when Old Boy is…Old Boy?

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© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 78 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Choi Min-shik, Hollywood, Park Chan-wook

From I Saw the Devil to Hollywood

javabeans — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:01:13 +0000

Dark thriller I Saw the Devil was one of the past summer’s hit films, and one of five Korean films to screen at the latest Toronto Film Festival. Coincidentally enough, all three of its major players are now looking at Hollywood prospects simultaneously, though not with each other. (Those three are actors Lee Byung-heon and Choi Min-shik and director Kim Jee-woon.)

And by “Hollywood project,” we don’t mean no-name projects that are hyped by the Korean press that nobody ever hears about; there are some impressive names involved in the following movies:

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Choi Min-shik, Hollywood, Kim Jee-woon, Lee Byung-heon

Han Chae-young signs with Hollywood agency CAA

javabeans — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:49:11 +0000

Han Chae-young has signed with Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, one of the Big 3 agencies in Hollywood, marking her intent to expand her career to the U.S. market. This comes not long after taking official steps in the Chinese market as well, where she enjoys residual popularity for dramas like Delightful Girl Chun-hyang and Autumn Love Story. More recently, she starred with Song Il-kook in the action drama A Man Called God.

Han lived in the States for a time and speaks English, albeit heavily accented. Although her pronunciation and grammar are flawed, based on interview snippets at least she seems able to carry on a conversation in English, which is to her benefit. Not to mention that she’s seriously gorgeous, which never hurts.

Han is not a particularly strong actress, but she’s not hopeless; of all her roles I think her best performance was in Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, where she came off natural and unaffected. She has explained that the character’s personality wasn’t too different from her real one, which is probably why. I’d put her in the same category as Park Shi-yeon of actresses who got unfortunately typecast as sexy and glamorous because of their looks (as Han was for Boys Before Flowers and Girlfriends), when they’re really better at playing down-to-earth characters (A Man Called God).

In any case, best of luck to her. Hollywood is a beast; hope she fares well. On the upside, she is managed by BH Entertainment, which is the company headed by Lee Byung-heon. Of all the Hallyu-to-Hollywood attempted crossovers, Lee’s has probably been the most successful with G.I. Joe.

Via Star News

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Han Ye-seul a possibility for Twilight sequel?

javabeans — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:38:04 +0000

It is being reported (strategically leaked?) that Han Ye-seul, who is currently acting in the new SBS melodrama series Will It Snow For Christmas?, recently took a secret meeting with Mark Morgan, CEO of Imprint Entertainment, the production company behind Twilight and New Moon. Naturally, this has given rise to speculation that Han Ye-seul’s Hollywood debut may come in the third film of the Twilight saga, Eclipse.

News of the meeting was confirmed by a source related to the “Phone Hollywood remake project,” which is also under Imprint’s purview. Han quietly met with Morgan and film producer Michael Becker on December 5 at an undisclosed location in Seoul. (They were in the country to announce the Phone remake at a press conference on the 3rd.)

I’d take the possibility of a Twilight appearance with a huge grain of salt — I think it’s more likely she’d be cast for Phone — but apparently it’s not out of the question. The source avoided the direct question of Han’s casting potential for Eclipse, but when Chosun Ilbo’s reporter asked whether one could “take an optimistic outlook” about it, the answer was “Yes.” Meanwhile, Phone‘s director had said at the recent press conference that he’d like to cast a Korean actress. The horror remake will use a Korean crew and director, but plans to cast American actors.

In general, this isn’t surprising news, since Han has been keeping an eye out for Hollywood opportunities since last year. I think her acting ranges from merely passable (Tazza) to bright and cute (Fantasy Couple, Miss Gold Digger), and on the whole it’s much improved from her early days. Furthermore, she’s one of few Korean actresses whose English is fluent without an accent and she grew up in California, so unlike some other stars attempting the crossover, language isn’t an issue. Language fluency also opens the door for her to take on roles outside the role of the stereotypical Asian Other — e.g., the ubiquitous assassin or martial artist a la Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Byung-heon, or Rain.

Via Newsen, Chosun

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Phone bought for Hollywood remake

javabeans — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:46:56 +0000

Ha Ji-won‘s 2002 horror film Phone [폰] will be getting a remake to be produced by U.S. company Imprint Entertainment in conjunction with Korea’s MiroVision. The news was announced in a December 3 press conference attended by reps from each company, as well as Ahn Byung-ki, the director of the original film.

Imprint Entertainment produced Twilight and New Moon, and will retain director Ahn for the remake in hopes that he will be able to re-create the success of the original, which racked up 2.6 million admissions. Ahn said, “When first making Phone, it was a low-budget film so I wasn’t able to show 100% of what was written in the script. This time, we have secured sufficient funding that I’ll do things I couldn’t in the first.”

Producers are in the process of selecting a cast of American actors. The film has a budget of $10 million USD, and will film in Korea in 2010 with a Korean crew.

Via E Daily

Hollywood dreams for Jung Ryeo-won

javabeans — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:59:57 +0000

Add Jung Ryeo-won (Ja Myung Go) to the growing ranks of Hallyu stars aiming to make the leap to Hollywood.

Jung visited the U.S. last month for a meeting at the request of a film studio representative. Although she had received some calls of interest last year, this was her first step in actively pursuing a Hollywood crossover. One of Jung’s reps confirmed, “It’s true that she is planning to enter the U.S. market.” She’s currently considering offers for her next acting project, after wrapping her last drama, SBS’s disappointing fusion historical flop Ja Myung Go, and I’d say she’s still best known for her 2005 turn in My Name Is Kim Sam-soon. Hopefully her next project, Korean or otherwise, proves more successful.

Although some Hallyu attempted crossovers have fallen flat, I’ve always thought Jung Ryeo-won was a strong contender. Not only is she fluent in English thanks to growing up in Australia, she has a lovely naturalistic feel in her acting, and her personality also seems to have a strong Western vibe to it (so much so that I think she feels uncomfortable at times in the Korean entertainment machine). Plus, we know her good buddy Daniel Henney is currently working on his American drama series debut with CBS’s medical show Three Rivers; they can commiserate with each other of their respective crossover dilemmas, I’m sure.

Via Star News

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Daniel Henney’s Three Rivers role due to Samsoon

javabeans — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:15:04 +0000

We kdrama fans know that it was 2005′s mega-hit drama My Name Is Kim Samsoon (aka My Lovely Samsoon) that catapulted American model-actor Daniel Henney to stardom in Korea, but it’s also apparently the reason for his U.S. television debut four years later.

Henney has landed a leading role playing “David Lee,” a Korean-American doctor, on the new CBS medical drama Three Rivers, which premieres this fall. The producers of the show searched widely for Asian actors in their casting process, and ended up watching Samsoon. They felt that the gentleness he displayed as Jung Ryeo-won’s doctor was similar to what they were looking for in the Lee character, and auditioned him. The producers reportedly agreed to cast him immediately after his audition “without argument.”

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 41 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Daniel Henney, Hollywood, My Name Is Kim Samsoon