South Korean Blockbuster ‘Miss Granny’ to Get Japanese Remake

The South Korean hit comedy Miss Granny will get a Japanese remake, CJ Entertainment announced on Wednesday.

Tentatively called Ayashi Kanojyo, the adaptation is a global project jointly invested by CJ Entertainment and Nippon Television Network Corporation and Shochiku. Japan’s C&I Entertainment will produce the film, which will be directed by Nobuo Mizuta, known for his titles including The Apology King (2013) and Maiko Haaan!!! (2007).

Actress Mikako Tabe, who was highly acclaimed for her role in Midnight Dinner (2015) and Liar Game: Reborn (2012), as well as A-lister Mitsuko Baisho, will play the lead roles in the film about a grandmother who turns into her 20-year-old self again and relives her youth by forming a rock band with her grandson.

A Chinese-language remake, 20, Once Again! was a box-office success, earning over $59 million (365 million yuan) to become the highest-grossing China-Korea co-production. Sweet 20, a Vietnamese version, is scheduled to open this December.

Miss Granny is CJ Entertainment’s signature global project that spearheads its “one source multi-territory” strategy, or offering various localized products of a given content in order to cater to audiences in different regions. The Korean giant also plans to offer Thai, Indonesian, Indian and German versions in the future.

“We are focusing on localizing the film to appeal to Japanese audiences, like how we did for the Chinese. For example, we tried to put more love stories in the Chinese version and used popular Chinese music for the soundtrack,” said Kini S. Kim, executive vp and head of international sales and distribution at CJ.

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