Several of the last decade’s most popular K-dramas are getting American remakes. But the recent announcement of one in particular, the 2019 hit “Crash Landing on You,” has left fans of the original show scratching their heads, bemused by an adaptation of a storyline that centers on the history of North and South Korea.
Details: Korean entertainment company CJ ENM revealed the news at a conference on Nov. 4. Kang Chul-ku, the CEO of Studio Dragon, the production company behind “Crash Landing on You,” said that the American remake is in the final stages of planning and development with Netflix U.S., reported Edaily.
- The Korean series, featuring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, aired at the end of 2019 to early 2020 on Netflix. At its peak performance, the show reached a 21.7% viewership rate across South Korea, according to Chosun Ilbo.
- The drama’s love story unfolds when Son’s South Korean character, Yoon Se-ri, finds herself trapped in North Korea due to a paragliding mishap that lands her across the border.
- Given the unique circumstances surrounding the division of the Korean peninsula, many fans on Twitter are critical of the remake, wondering where an American adaptation would take place in order for the story to make sense.
Crash Landing on you is unique because it’s NK and SK, because it’s Hyun Bin and Son Yejin. You can’t remake something unique, they were the only ones able to bring this story to life and no other people, no other place in the world can do it. Find your own ideas Hollywood pic.twitter.com/DNUWklt3RD
— Am #BinJinIsReal (@AmLiRa7) November 4, 2021
To my fellow American ingrates that don’t have the brain capacity to read subtitles nor can withhold themselves from dipping into the pot of gold this drama has proven itself to curate: you cannot replicate the lightning in a bottle Crash Landing On You achieved pic.twitter.com/lEUkryd6c0
— Madz⚡️ (@BINJINHEAVEN) November 5, 2021
So what, two siblings from Alabama or …? How are they remaking this? Legit @JJKsuperhero said it best, the only other realistic option to make this at all historically interesting would be the two Germanys …
— Alma⁷ ✨Every breath is a paradise⭐ (@Perseyal) November 4, 2021
- Some users have wondered why a remake is necessary, especially after the global success of the Korean thriller series “Squid Game” proved that subtitles and dubbing enable viewers to enjoy foreign language shows.
This makes zero sense in light of Squid Games success. People will read subtitles. Will it have ‘name’ actors who speak English???? But most of the series success, IMHO, is the actors chemistry. And there is no equivalent in modern US. If they set it up for the Civil War..
— SkyNet (@RockBisonMMXX) November 4, 2021
- One user responded to the news by referencing South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s speech when “Parasite” won an award at the Golden Globes last year. Bong encouraged the audience to give foreign language films a chance, saying “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
I tweeted this photo when i heard Train to Busan was getting a US remake. had to bring it back with the news of a Crash Landing On You US remake. i’m just ??? pic.twitter.com/Pvhzim0uvW
— ⁷ (@jhopediaries) November 5, 2021
More adaptations: A remake of the 2016 K-drama “W: Two Worlds” will make its way to The CW Network, with the new name “Angel City,” Deadline revealed last week.
- The CW adaptation follows the character Jules as her ordinary life as a plastic surgeon is turned upside down when she gets sucked into another dimension that brings her father’s graphic novels to life.
- In April, it was announced that “Eternals” actor Ma Dong-Seok will star in “The Club,” an American adaptation of the 2019 K-drama “Trap.” Jack LoGiudice, known for his work in “Sons of Anarchy” and “Narcos,” has been hired as the series showrunner and writer.
- An HBO TV series in connection with Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite” is also in the works. Writer Adam Mckay has insisted, however, that the show will not be a remake.
- “It’s an original series,” he told Collider. “It’s in the same universe as the feature, but it’s an original story that lives in that same world.”
- Meanwhile, ABC’s adaptation of the K-drama “The Good Doctor,” produced by Daniel Dae Kim, has already seen success in the U.S. with its fifth season having aired in September.
Featured Image via “Crash Landing on You”
