Production is underway for the Korean remake of The Intern starring Choi Min Sik and Han So Hee.
The upcoming movie, based on the 2015 dramedy featuring actors Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, marks the first project since Warner Bros. Discovery signed a five-year deal with Jack Nguyen’s JOAT Films. The pack will see the Asian executive create movies focused on Asia. These titles will be in local languages and will be new versions of the studio’s existing Hollywood movies.
The Korean remake will be helmed by director Kim Do Young (Kim Ji-young: Born 1982). Min Sik will portray De Niro’s role as Gi Ho, the seasoned intern, opposite So Hee’s Sun Woo, the Woo22 fashion entrepreneur originally played by Hathaway.
70-year-old widow Gi Ho, a former executive, feels unfulfilled in his retirement. He seeks to occupy the recently established role of senior intern at Woo22, a rapidly expanding e-commerce fashion startup.
Gi Ho, who manages to impress all at the company, is among the three senior interns selected. He is tasked to collaborate with chief executive officer Sun Woo, who initially doubts him. Nonetheless, he proves him wrong through his friendliness and practical guidance on both life and work.
Min Sik is famous for his roles in Park Chan Wook’s movies: Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005), I Saw the Devil (2010), New World (2013) and The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014). Meanwhile, So Hee rose to fame with the successful K-dramas The World of the Married, My Name and has appeared in Disney+’s Soundtrack #1.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original movie was a surprising hit in Korea, earning $24 million after its September 2015 local release.
Warner Bros. has experienced a successful year at the Korean box office. The Brad Pitt-led F1 movie has earned $39 million domestically, making it South Korea’s top film of the year. Japanese anime powerhouse Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is currently trailing closely with $38.6 million and rising.
Apart from So Hee and Min Sik, the cast includes Kim Geum Soon as Hee Sook, Woo22’s cafeteria manager; Kim Joon Han as Young Hwan, the company’s vice president; and Ryu Hye Young as Min-a, Gi Ho’s manager. Kim Yo Han will play Joo-sung, another intern recruit.