With the success of “Parasite,” along with news of an English-language remake coming to HBO as a new drama series, CJ Entertainment is looking for new avenues to break into the American film world. And apparently, the production company is teaming with Ari Aster to make that happen with a new remake of “Save the Green Planet.”
According to CJ Entertainment, the company has teamed with Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg production banner to develop an English-language version of the South Korean cult classic, “Save the Green Planet.” The 2003 film wasn’t a massive worldwide hit when it was released, but its wild story could have crossover appeal with American audiences, especially with Aster’s name attached.
“Save the Green Planet” is a film that defies conventional genres, often switching tones, but it tells the story of a man attempting to save the planet from upcoming armageddon. The plan is to capture a businessman that the man believes is an alien in disguise and convince the businessman to cancel the attack.
Though Aster and his production company will produce alongside CJ Entertainment, the new English-language remake will be written by Will Tracy, who is best known as one of the writers for “Succession.” The new film will see the original movie’s director Joon-hwan Jang return to the helm.
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Aster and Knudsen said, “Swinging with youthful abandon between white-knuckle suspense, absurd slapstick, grim horror and a deeply felt (and earned) sense of tragedy, ‘Save the Green Planet’ is one of the most remarkable films to come out of South Korea – among this recent wave or any wave, for that matter. When we heard that director Jang was passionate about revisiting this iconic work, bringing it to the US and updating it to reflect the mess of the world today (which feels even more ripe for this kind of apocalyptic skewering than when the film was first released), we leapt at the chance to be a part of it. We’re honored to be partnering with CJ and with the brilliant director Jang.”
No release date has been set for “Save the Green Planet.”
Here’s the synopsis for the South Korean film, as well as the trailer:
In the original film, Joon-hwan Jang imagines the fate of the human race hinging on Byun-gu, a bitter, paranoid and eccentric beekeeper who, with the help of his tightrope walker girlfriend, Sooni, kidnaps a powerful and successful businessman, Man-sik. Byun-gu believes that Man-sik is an alien from the planet Andromeda, one of many hiding among us and plotting to destroy the Earth in a few days. Amphetamine-popping Byun-gu sees himself as the planet’s last hope, and sets about torturing Man-sik with relish, trying to convince him to contact the “Royal Prince” and call off Armageddon. A battle of wits and wills ensues, with Man-sik trying to convince his captors that he’s human and attempting to escape. Man-sik recognizes Byun-gu as a disgruntled former employee whose comatose mother suffers from a mysterious illness. It begins to seem that Byun-gu’s true motivation may be personal, but he’s still ruthlessly determined to get Man-sik to confess and cooperate, even if he has to risk killing him. Meanwhile, a dishevelled detective, Chu, and his young acolyte, Inspector Kim, discover that the person who kidnapped Man-sik may have struck several times before, always with deadly results.