Korea to Produce a Remake of American Series "Homeland," Possibly Starring Kim Nam Gil

A Korean version of the popular American series “Homeland” starring actor Kim Nam Gil has been reported on extensively by international press outlets, gathering a lot of interest. Kim Nam Gil’s agency Star J Entertainment said, “It is true that we are in the beginning stages of production.”

Reporters from the American media outlet Hollywood and the English entertainment media outlet and research company C21 Media recently released articles on the “Korean Homeland.” The Hollywood reporter said, “Korea’s Star J Entertainment bought rights to Israel’s drama ‘Prisoners of War,’ which is the original drama that ‘Homeland’ is based off of. Kim Nam Gil is the prospected main actor for the show, and participating in the production are the Star J president Jung Young Bum, ABC network consultant and ‘City Hunter’ producer Lee Dong Hoon (Sebastian Lee), Hollywood producer Teddy Geiger, etc.” 

“The 2011 sensation ‘Prisoners of War’ was sold to 20 countries, and Korea is the first in Asia to do a remake. Alon Shtruzman, the CEO of Keshet International, which was the production company for ‘Prisoners of War,’ said he is looking forward to the Korean take on the show.”

C21 Media said, “…the plot will focus on the reflecting the realities of confrontation between the North and South Korea.”

“Prisoners of War” was a hit drama about Israeli soldiers who were captured on a secret mission in Lebanon seventeen years ago, who eventually return home and must adjust, when an investigation is started to find out what secrets from Lebanon they are hiding. In 2013, at the Seoul Drama Awards, “Prisoners of War 2” received the honor of the grand prize. The show was remade into the American series “Homeland,” which, also highly popular, is currently on its fourth season. In 2012, the American series won 6 Emmy Awards, and between 2012 and 2013, the show won a total of 5 Golden Globes.

An official at Star J said, “Kim Nam Gil has shown an interest in the drama, and we [Star J] discussed purchasing rights to the show with the president of the Israel production company when he visited Korea during the Seoul Drama Awards. We’re planning on producing the show as a drama, but in terms of the writer or actors, we haven’t worked out any specific details. As the material for the show is quite unique, there are a lot of aspects which we need to trim and tweak to fit the Korean setting, as well.”

Stay tuned for more on the new Korean version of “Homeland!”

Source