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Source: Deadline
How does a cinematic remake – especially one of a film that’s generally well-liked, if not an all-time classic – justify its existence? What needs to be done in order for people to look at it as more than just a safe, but creatively lacking means of capitalizing on an already popular concept? This is a question that many remakes have tried to answer over the years, and while there are quite a few remakes (from 1983’s “Scarface” to 2005’s “King Kong”) that have been relatively able to win over audiences, the majority of them tend to be dismissed and deemed inferior to films that were already just fine the way they were. This, however, applies to films remade within the country in which they were originally conceived; when discussing remakes made in one country of films made in an entirely different nation, it would seem that a greater number of possibilities is opened up. After all, because no two countries share the exact same social and/or political values, a film written and shot in one country will likely differ from how the exact same film is written and shot in another. Because of this, foreign remakes are often a rather fascinating subject to discuss, even if they too run into many of the same issues that plague the average remake. For every “The Departed”, Martin Scorsese’s 2006 remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs”, there is an “Oldboy” (which, in this case, is Spike Lee’s 2013 remake of the 2003 South Korean film of the same name). There’s also the matter of obtaining the rights to remake a given film, which can be a trickier hurdle to overcome when dealing with international interactions. Oftentimes, it can simply be dealt with by offering up a large enough sum of money, but in some rare cases, a more unorthodox agreement can be arranged. One such agreement took place quite recently actually, with one of the United States’ most famed film distributors entering a pact with one of South Korea’s most famed film distributors, with both giving each other the right to remake the other distributor’s features.
On Tuesday, November 19th, it was announced that Warner Bros, the United States-based studio behind such recent hits as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and the “Dune” series (among countless other iconic films and franchises) had made a deal with CJ ENM, the South Korea-based studio behind films like “Parasite” and “The Handmaiden”, that will enable both studios to produce and distribute films together, each of which will be a remake of something that had already been made by one of these two studios. Warner Bros will use this opportunity to make English-spoken remakes of films originally shot in Korean, while CJ ENM will do the opposite and turn what were previously English-language films into those now spoken predominantly in Korean. Although each studio will be mostly personally responsible for the creation and financing of each of these remakes, they will nonetheless provide to each other from time to time in order to ensure that each film is given the most suitable cast and crew, as well as a feasibly manageable budget.
In the majority of international territories, Warner Bros will serve as the primary distributor for these new remakes and oversee their release in several regions throughout Europe, the Americas, and even Asia to a certain degree. There are a few exceptions, however: in addition to its native South Korea, CJ ENM will also distribute these films in such nations as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Turkey, those where it’s a much more familiar name to those living within these countries. No matter which of these companies acts as chief distributor though, both appear to be enthusiastic about this new business deal. In a statement released by Warner Bros Motion Picture Group co-chairs/CEOs Micahel De Luca and Pam Abdy, both expressed a great deal of eagerness to work alongside their equivalents at CJ ENM as they begin work on all these remakes. “Miky Lee, CJ Vice Chairwoman, and the team at CJ ENM have built an enviable slate of films over its history to become a powerhouse producer of Korean cinema, with films that resonate with audiences across the globe,” the statement reads. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with CJ ENM as we look to expand Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s movies offerings around the world.”
Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, the head of CJ ENM’s Film Business division, released a similar statement not too long afterwards, echoing many of the same sentiments and conveying a sense of excitement for what’s to come from this collaboration. “Warner Bros. is home to a legendary library that bridges Hollywood of past and present and is steeped in excellence,” Ko’s statement reads. “Warner Bros. and CJ have built extensive libraries across North America and Asia, each in their unique way. This collaboration allows us to uncover and revitalize hidden gems, bringing inspiring stories to today’s audiences. It’s a wonderful privilege to be partnered with an iconic brand that boldly continues to evolve, create and champion storytelling at the highest level.”
So which films that have been made by CJ ENM will Warner Bros choose to remake? Conversely, which films that have been made by Warner Bros will CJ ENM choose to remake? There’s currently no explicit answer to either of these questions, perhaps in part due to the wide variety of titles to choose from. The Warner Bros film library, for example, has over 12,000 titles in its collection, some of which are of films made by Warner Bros itself, while others are of films that had been purchased by the company several years prior (e.g. the pre-1986 MGM film catalog). This means that films as old as “The Jazz Singer” or “The Wizard of Oz” and films as recent as “Joker” or “The Matrix” could, in theory, receive the Korean-language remake treatment (although budgetary restrictions will almost certainly be a challenge for CJ ENM, one that could very easily dissuade them from producing anything that might be extremely costly). CJ ENM’s film library, meanwhile, isn’t nearly as big, so Warner Bros will likely be inclined to turn their attention to some of the studio’s more well known works (among them the Best Picture nominated “Past Lives”, which only came to theaters just over a year ago). No matter what films Warner Bros and CJ ENM choose to remake though, an arrangement such as this has never taken place (at least on this big of a scale) before, and one can only wonder what will come of this new and intriguing partnership.
