China to remake 'Descendants of the Sun' starring Zhang Ziyi?

The popular Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo starrer South Korean TV series "Descendants of the Sun" is soon to get a Chinese film adaptation.

Descendent of the Sun: Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo
Still from the hit series Descendant of the Sun. Facebook/Descendant of the Sun

The popular Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo starrer South Korean TV series "Descendants of the Sun" is soon to get a Chinese film adaptation. According to the reports, it is to be directed by Zhang Yibai, 53, who is known for his direction in the 2016 Chinese romantic drama film, "I Belonged to You."

For the Chinese "Descendants of the Sun" film the lead actress who is being considered is the 'House of Flying Daggers' actress, Zhang Ziyi. In the popular TV series, the male lead was known as Captain Yoo Si Jin or the Big Boss and the female lead was known as Doctor Kang Mo Yeon, or Beauty.

The story is about the Big Boss who is a soldier having some outstanding academic and physical abilities. He comes from a military family and has high respect for his father.

On the other hand is the female lead, Beauty who is a cardiothoracic specialist and she is an emotionally strong woman and doesn't shy away from admitting her mistakes.

If Ziyi eventually plays the female lead character that was originally played by Hye Kyo, the best choice for the male lead role originally played by Joong Ki should be "The Crossing" co-star of Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro. Moreover, Ziyi has previously worked with Yibai in the Chinese romance anthology film "Run for Love" so it wouldn't be new for her to work with the director.

According to Yibada, Huace Film & TV, the Chinese TV production group has bought the rights to reproduce "Descendants of the Sun" series into a film in China. Reportedly, Yibai informed Wuhan Evening News that they do not want to rely entirely on the original plotline of the series but they would just like to use the foundation and try to create an entirely new film and a better version for the viewers.

This article was first published on March 11, 2017