By Noh Hyun-gi
Hit movie “My Sassy Girl” is coming to the small screen as a TV drama. The romantic comedy starring Jun Ji-hyun (a.k.a Giana Jun) and Cha Tae-hyun was a sensation when it opened in 2001, and shot Jun to stardom. The movie is based on a book of the same title, and was remade in multiple countries including the United States, China and Japan.
The production company for the original, Shincine Communication, will work with Lemon Rain, the production agency of recent KBS drama “Sungkyungwan Scandal.” In preparation for the new show, the agencies will hold a script contest for “My Sassy Girl” from Feb. 1 through March 30. The winning entry will be made during the second half of the year, and the author will receive 1 million won.
One must submit scripts for two episodes of a 16-episode mini-series. The contest is open to all writers, and co-writing is allowed. There are no specific restrictions on the content, but the movie “My Sassy Girl” should be the motif of the scripts. The material can be submitted via post to Lemon Rain or email to raemongraein@hanmail.net.
There has been controversy over making the movie into a TV series, as 2006 drama production agency Peppermint Entertainment released news that it had signed a contract with the author of the book, Kim Ho-sik. Shinecine Communication stepped in shortly after, claiming that Kim had relinquished his rights to any future productions related to the movie other than the book in a letter agreement signed in 2003. The author argued that the signature in the agreement was a forgery. The dispute was taken to court.
Shin Chul, the CEO of Shinecine Communication, told Korea Times that the case was closed, with the movie agency and author sharing the rights to productions related to “My Sassy Girl.” Currently, Shinecine has the rights to pursue certain content within Korea. On the alleged forged signature, Shin said it was confirmed that Kim indeed had signed the agreement.
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