Popular Comics Preparing Showings on Screen

There are many movies being produced based on popular comics. "Old Boy", which received the Grand Jury Prize at the recent the Cannes International Film Festival, has heated this trend. There are some teen number of movies based on comics in production or in preparation for production.

Daeweon CI recently announced that the company finalized the contract for the movie production of Island by Yang Gyeong-il and Yoon In-wan with Lee's Film.


`Island`
'Island' is staged in a beautiful vacation spot Jeju Island where various native monsters appear the moment of a sunset. In this mystery action comic, a beautiful teacher Weon Mi-ho and a cold-blooded man Bin work together to solve the mysteries.

The comic was originally published serially in the biweekly comic magazine Young Champ, and then was made into a 7-volume paperback. The new concept of combining different genres of action, horror and mystery was welcomed enthusiastically in Korea.

It was exported to 10 foreign countries including Japan and the US, as well as some European countries. It received the 2002 Export Award in the comic category.

Another comic "New Royal Secret Commissioner" by Yang Gyeong-il and Yoon In-wan will be reborn as a feature animation, too. It is in the process of joint-production by Korea and Japan, and the screening is expected in October.


`Blue Angel`
SM Film selected Blue Angel by Lee Hyeon-se as their first project. Blue Angel was originally published serially on Daily Sports in 1988.

A sexy female cop Hah Ji-rhan appeals to the public with her charisma and power over men. The total production cost is 6 billion with the investment by Cinema Service. The shooting begins this summer, and the film will be screened at theatres on the New Year's Day 2005. It will be directed by Lee Si-myeong from "2009 Lost Memories".

Romantic Comic by Kangfull (Kang Pool) published on Internet is undergoing the scenario writing by a new film company Let's Film. Kim Gyeong-Hyeong known for his work with "Tutoring a Person of the Same Age" and "Liar" will be holding the megaphone. It is a story of comic yet innocent love between a thirty-year-old bachelor and a high school girl, and an older woman and a younger man.


`Romance Papa`
'Romance Papa' by Lee Yeong-rhan is expected at theatres next year, too. Film Mania is in the process of scenario writing, and the shooting will begin during the second half of this year.

Romance Papa was originally published as a paperback, and was enthusiastically received by teenage girls. It portrays an interesting life between a young father who doesn't like to socialize because of his childhood memory of being harassed by women, and his daughter born after an artificial insemination.

Cheon Gye-yeong's Audition will be reborn as an animation, and Park So-hee's Gung ("Princess Hours") and Lee Hyeon-se's "Lion", "Sing the Dawn" will be made into movies. Won Soo-yeon's "Full House" currently in the process of being produced as a TV series may also be produced as a movie depending on the success of the TV series.

Shin Sook