Korea’s CJ Entertainment to Develop 10 Movies in Hollywood

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South Korea’s leading movie studio, CJ Entertainment, is developing 10 film projects in Hollywood. Two of them, North American versions of “Miss Granny” and “Hide and Seek,” are set to start production this year.


CJ Entertainment, part of the CJ E&M conglomerate that also owns TV channels and TV production companies, confirmed the details in emails . Production expansion outside creative, but crowded, Korea also matches the internationalization of its CJ-CGV exhibition chain, which is now one of the world’s top five.


“We’re proceeding with our global productions as planned. There will be more projects added to the lineup, including both remakes and originals,” spokesperson Yoon In-ho said. CJ has previously indicated production budgets of up to $35 million for its U.S. pictures.


3Pas Studio is currently attaching cast for its Spanish-language remake of 2014 romantic comedy “Miss Granny,” CJ’s most successful international franchise to date. It has secured Mexican actor Eugenio Gonzalez Derbez, according to CJ. Tyler Perry Studios is producing an English-language remake of the same property, with Melisa Finell (“Sensitivity Training”) overseeing script development. Actor-director Joel Moore (“Avatar”) is to script and direct the remake version of thriller “Hide and Seek.”


Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Phyllis Nagy (Todd Haynes’ “Carol”) is on board as the director of “The Vanished,” an omnibus drama based on a French novel co-written by Lena Mauger and Stephane Remael. Other Hollywood figures to join CJ’s projects include Drake Doremus (“Equals”) who will direct “Aurora.” Salvador Paskowitz (“The Age of Adaline”) is writing the screenplay. The Hollywood remake of Korea-Vietnam co-produced horror thriller “The Housemaid” will be scripted by Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”).


Also now casting is “Super Fan,” a fact-based sports drama about Lee Sung-woo, a dedicated Korean follower of the Kansas City Royals baseball team. “Super Fan” is being co-produced by Ivanhoe Pictures, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and CJ.


The company is also developing another biopic, “Sohn Kee-chung Project,” following a legendary marathon runner. U.S. versions of comedy dramas “Sunny” and “Hello Ghost” have finished scripting and are now attaching key cast and crew.