Japanese remake of 'Miss Granny' to hit theaters next year

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- The filming of the Japanese-language version of "Miss Granny" began late last month for release early next year, the film's distributor said Wednesday.

The Japanese film with the working titled "Ayashii Kanojyo" is a global project jointly invested in by South Korea's CJ Entertainment, Japan's Nippon Television Network Corp. and Shochiku Co.

It will be produced by Japanese entertainment company C&I Entertainment, and directed by Nobuo Mizuta, known for his previous works "The Apology King (2013)" and "Maiko Haaan!!!(2007)," according to CJ E&M.

The cast include Mikako Tabe, who was highly acclaimed for her role in the film "Midnight Dinner (2015)" and "Liar Game: Reborn (2012)", as well as Mitsuko Baisho, one of Japan's leading actresses.

The original 2014 film "Miss Granny" drew 8.65 million viewers in South Korea. Starring Korean actresses Shim Eun-kyung and Na Moon-hee, the comedy is about a 70-something grandmother who suddenly regains the physical appearance of her 20s after visiting a mysterious photo studio.

The comedy has already been made into Chinese and Vietnamese versions, and CJ Entertainment has also unveiled a plan to make the film's Thai, Indonesian, Indian and German versions in the future.

"We are focusing on localizing the film to appeal to Japanese audiences, like how we did for the Chinese. For example, we tried to put more love stories in the Chinese version titled '20, Once Again!' and used popular Chinese music for the soundtrack," said Kini S. Kim, executive vice president and head of international sales and distribution at CJ E&M.

The Chinese remake has earned around 365 million yuan (US$57.4 million) at the Chinese box office since its release in January, while "Sweet 20," the Vietnamese version, is scheduled to open this December.

sshim@yna.co.kr
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