‘Designated Survivor’ Scores Korean Remake With eOne & Studio Dragon Co-Producing
Designated Survivor is getting a Korean remake after TVN optioned a local version of the eOne political thriller.
The Kiefer Sutherland-fronted series is to be remade by Studio Dragon Corporation for CJ ENM’s TVN to launch in July. The deal marks the first scripted format deal for the series, which aired its first two seasons on ABC and will have its third series premiere exclusively on Netflix. The SVOD service has also picked up the global rights to the Korean remake.
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Ji Jin-Hee, who has starred in Korean series including Dae Jang Geum and Dong Yi, plays the Thomas Kirkman character, who suddenly goes from a low level political position to run the country after a terrorist attack.
It will be known locally as Designated Survivor: 60 Days and will be eOne’s first co-production in the region with eOne’s President and Chief Content Officer, Film and Television Mark Gordon offering support.
“We’re extremely proud of this project being our first co-production in Asia,” said Gordon. “Korean media powerhouse CJ ENM and its production arm Studio Dragon’s impressive track record as a regional content creator is unparalleled and we’re so pleased to be partnering with them as we cultivate deeper relationships within the local creative community. It’s very exciting to see IP that we’ve developed for the U.S. has the ability to travel to different continents in new forms, demonstrating a great growth opportunity for the company.”
“We are delighted to partner with a reputable global studio like eOne in bringing the local version of Designated Survivor to Korea,” added Jinnie Choi, CEO, Studio Dragon. “We hope that this will be the first of many collaborations where we can strengthen our relationship which will result in more international co-productions for audiences around the world.”
The deal was brokered by Joyce Yeung, Executive Vice President, APAC, eOne and Tony Kim, Producer, International Co-Production, Studio Dragon. eOne will handle worldwide distribution (excluding Korea) for the series.
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