"Descendants of the Sun" is finally coming to theaters in China after Huace Film and TV, one of the country's biggest film productions, successfully acquired the copyrights to produce and release the drama's movie version. It was reported that distinguished director Zhang Yibai has been chosen to direct the film.
According to KBS World Radio, the production team has yet to decide on the actors who will star in the film. Having Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo in the movie is out of the question but they are now in the process of choosing the right actors to reprise the Hallyu stars' iconic roles.
Moreover, the producers know that the public has high expectations in the movie so they are working harder to produce a movie that is better that the original drama. This is understandable since "Descendants of the Sun" swept away China when it was released earlier this year. It also catapulted most of its cast members to stardom in just a short time.
With the massive popularity of the drama version, Zhang relayed that he feels a lot of pressure especially with the selection of the actors. He explained that because the original lead stars are very charming and attractive, it greatly helped the KBS drama to attain its huge success.
"We won't rely on the reputation of the original drama but use it as a foundation to build a wholly new movie," Yonhap News Agency quoted Zhang as saying. "We'd like to make a better one."
The 53-year-old Chinese director was the man behind the highly-acclaimed 2007 movie entitled "The Longest Night In Shanghai." The film starred Vicki Zhao and it was one of those rare collaboration projects between China and Japan. In 2008, Zhang 's "Lost Indulgence" was also screened at New York's Tribeca Film Festival.
"Descendants of the Sun" is originally a 16-episode drama which tells the story of a special force captain and a volunteer doctor. They met through a peacekeeping mission at the fictional war-torn country of Uruk and they fell in love.
Meanwhile, the producers of the drama are considering the production of "Descendants of the Sun" sequel. If things will go well, the filming may begin in 2017, however, the original lead artists will not be coming back to reprise their roles.
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