HK classic ‘Comrades: Almost a Love Story’ to get South Korean TV remake

“Comrades: Almost a Love Story” – restored clip

The Hong Kong cult classic Comrades: Almost a Love Story will be remade in South Korea as a TV series, Studio LYD announced on Friday. The project is one of the latest examples of the high demand for intellectual property (IP) in the Asian entertainment industry.

The 1996 film by Peter Chan, about two Chinese mainlanders trying to make a life in Hong Kong, was a critical and commercial success across Asia. The Korean adaptation will feature a North Korean or a Chinese-Korean man who gets taken under the wing of a smart and ambitious woman, trying to find her own way to a better life in the bustling city of Seoul. Comrades will be distributed by Warner Bros. International Television Production.

“We have kept an eye on this IP for many years and are very excited to develop the project for the Korean market. The original film was such an iconic story and a reboot could re-energize the original themes for a modern-day Korean audience,” said Joon Lee, CEO of Studio LYD, in a statement.

Studio LYD specializes in producing Korean dramas and movies from international IPs and develops Korean unscripted formats to co-produce and syndicate with international partners.

In addition to the Comrades remake, Studio LYD is also developing the Korean remake of the Chinese hit web series, Go Princess Go, with LeTV and FOX Network Group.

The company was formed by Joon Lee, former head of North Asia and head of original production for mainland China for FOX Network Group; J.S. Kim, former CEO of CJ Entertainment and former president of KT Media Hub; and Park Hyung Jun, who also produced the 2010 Korean remake of John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow.

Park, who is Studio LYD co-founder and producer, will head the production. “I’m very excited to be able to take one of Asia’s top melodramas and turn it into a Korean drama. This is a story that I’m very passionate about, and we plan to bring in one of Korea’s top writers to start on the project,” he said in the statement.Lee Hyo-won, Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg