The Hollywood list of Korean remakes is expanding rapidly; latest addition to the list will be
Bong Joon-ho's
"The Host". Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will produce the Hollywood remake of
"The Host" and he will team up with Fredrik Bond who will direct. Bond directed commercials for major brands and
"The Host" remake will be his first shot at directing a feature film. Verbinski and Bond will be backed by Universal Pictures.
"The Host" premiered at Festival de Cannes where it was critically appraised. The film became the most successful Korean film at the time, was invited by film festivals around the world, and was cinematically released in the U.S., Japan, and China. BONG's 2006 monster film is known for its incorporation of numerous allusions to contemporary Korean society in its story. The remake will be written by Mark Poirier (Smart People).
Prior to his Pirates of the Carribean trilogy, Verbinski directed the remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring. Verbinski attended the 2007 Pusan International Film Festival where he participated in panel discussions about Asian cinema; Verbinski praised Korean actors
Choi Min-sik and
Song Kang-ho, "When I watch Korean films, I wonder why I can't get actors like
Song Kang-ho and
Choi Min-sik in my movies". SONG plays a leading character in the original
"The Host".
Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)
