"Descendants of the Sun" is still airing simultaneously in Korea and China but there are already talks of its remake. It was said that NEW production company, the drama's distributor, is looking for production companies in China that they can partner up with for the reproduction of the mega-hit series.
According to Star News, the distributor succeeded in finding a partner so the deal for Chinese remake of the drama is already on. Currently, the plans are being laid out so that the production will be set in motion soon. NEW company is also hoping that they can be able to release the drama in other countries through its rights to remake.
In confirmation of the remake deal, the production company said in a statement, "The only thing certain at this point is that the drama will be remade into a Chinese version." They added that they will make sure to have the best conditions and proposals when they make a deal for the "Descendants of the Sun" reproduction to various versions.
The Korean and original version of the series has been massively popular in and outside of Korea so it is understandable that many foreign companies are interested in obtaining the rights to show it in their countries or create a local adaptation. As a proof of its popularity, the drama already surpassed the viewership rating record set by Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun's "My Love from the Star."
In the eleventh episode alone, the viewership rating hit 40.9 percent according to Nielsen Korea. Moreover, with the immense popularity of Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo-starrer drama, it was reported that the total production cost of US$11 million has been paid off already, even before the series concludes its 16-episode run on television, Forbes reported.
Now that the Chinese remake has been confirmed, fans have set-up a poll so people can vote as to who they would like to be the lead actors in the Chinese version. So far, the leading actor for Joong Ki's character as Captain Yoo is Hu Ge with 1,735 votes while Gao Yuan-yuan got 1,758 votes to reprise Hye Kyo's character as Dr. Kang Mo Yeon.
Meanwhile, the last airing date for "Descendants of the Sun" has been set for April 14, however, it was reported that KBS network is planning to add three more episodes to gift fans with a special telecast.
Check out the trailer of the drama that broke viewership rating records in Korea and China: