Hollywood actor Kevin HART (
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) has signed on to produce the American remake of
KANG Hyoung-chul’s hit period youth drama
Sunny (2011), which will be known as
Bye Bye Bye.
The actor’s company HartBeat Productions, along with
CJ Entertainment, the Korean major that was responsible for the original, have sent a pitch to Universal Pictures. The project also features Amy ANIOBI, known for HBO’s show
Insecure, who will write the script.
HART will produce alongside John CHENG for HartBeat Productions while
CJ Entertainment’s Francis CHUNG, the vice president of global co-productions and head of U.S. production, will produce for
CJ Entertainment. On board as an executive producer is Jerry KO, the head of international division at
CJ Entertainment.
Originally released in the spring of 2011,
Sunny proved to be a major sleeper hit at the Korean box office. Featuring
SHIM Eun-kyoung in her breakout role, the film follows a group of middle-aged high school friends who are brought together by an illness and then reminisce about their school days in the 1980s. The film ultimately welcomed well over seven million admissions, giving director KANG his second massive hit on the trot, following 2008’s
Scandal Makers.
Meanwhile, Director KANG is about to return to theaters with his fourth film, the tap dance-themed Korean War musical drama
Swing Kids, which will be released by
Next Entertainment World on December 19.