IU's K-drama 'Hotel Del Luna' to get English remake by 'Parasite' creators and 'Altered Carbon' showrunner
'Hotel Del Luna', one of the most popular Korean shows of 2019 will get an English adaptation by makers of the Oscar-award winning film 'Parasite'. The original starred IU and Yeo Jin-goo in lead roles and told the tale of a woman, Man Wol, who committed a sin many years ago and as punishment for the same, she is made to handle Hotel Del Luna. It is not your usual hotel, but more a pit stop for spirits who are on their way to the afterlife. She handled it for hundreds of years with the help of one human manager during each lifetime.
Koo Chan-sung is one such manager, but he is chosen to help Man Wol move on and possibly leave her life behind peacefully. However, things don't go as planned because she falls in love with Chan-sung. The main reason for the show's success was IU's portrayal of Man Wol, a character who was feisty, cynical, and dark but with a hint of childlike innocence and the audiences loved this mix. Now, this show is being remade in English.
'Altered Carbon' showrunner Alison Schapker and Skydance Television will be developing the adaptation that was originally written by Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran and directed by Oh Choong-hwan. The independent studio has partnered with CJ ENM, the production house behind 'Parasite', and they had acquired a stake in Skydance Media. Studio Dragon is a subsidiary of CJ ENM and they will be working on the adaptation. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Skydance TV president Bill Bost said, "At its core, Hotel Del Luna is a spectacular visual fantasy grounded in a story about the importance of human connection, lost loves and unfinished business."
He also added, "We are excited to be partnering with Alison and Studio Dragon to bring this timeless story to a global audience."
Head of Studio Dragon's global division, Hyun Park added, "We are thrilled to have Alison lead the adaptation of Hotel Del Luna, hopefully, our first of many co-development projects with Skydance. We believe Hotel Del Luna will enhance the reputation of Korean storytelling around the world by showcasing the global appeal of our local stories."