Warner, Vit Venor
Warner Bros. Discovery WBD has revealed a preliminary deal with an industry veteran. Jack Nguyenwith a Korean remake of the 2015 comedy drama “The Trainee” as the opening project. The deal was reached, through Nguyen. Got MoviesThe WBD division focuses on Asia-focused film projects, particularly local language remakes of English-language titles produced by WBD.
Nguyen will collaborate with local partners across the Asia Pacific region, including Korea and India. Kurt RaderWBD's Senior Vice President and Head of Theatrical Distribution for Asia Pacific highlighted the strong appetite for remaking Hollywood stories in the region.
Nguyen, who previously worked for Warner Bros. for 30 years, previously oversaw local language activities in Asia and Latin America. His career includes overseeing productions such as “Letters from Iwo Jima,” the “Ruruni Kenshin” series and “Age of Shadows.”
“It should come as no surprise that I have great respect and loyalty for Warner Bros. after spending most of my career there,” said Nguyen. “I am honored to take over some of their valuable intellectual property to produce high-quality local-language films with the best filmmakers in those countries. Additionally, I want to shine a light on new and talented filmmakers by finding ‘cool’ projects that deserve attention on the world stage.”
Separately, Nguyen serves as an executive producer on Korea's Anthology Studios and the Korean remake of Indian film Drisham produced by India's Panorama Studios.
Fun Documents
Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is launching a new Audience Award for its Wide Angle Documentary Competition. The award, worth 10 million won (US$7,315), aims to highlight Asian documentaries and boost audience engagement. It joins the BIFF’s existing Audience Awards for the New Trends and Fast-Forward sections. The festival will be held from October 2 to 11 in Busan, Korea.
Premiere of “PRECINCT”
Netflix CNBC has released a trailer for “GG Precinct,” a spinoff of the hit Taiwanese series “Marry My Dead Body.” The six-episode crime comedy is set to premiere on August 22. The series focuses on a series of unusual crimes featuring elaborate killing methods. Cases include a victim decorated with chicken feathers and a reindeer antlers hat, and a woman hanging by her hair.
veteran host Tai Chi Yuan He returns to acting in series after a decade, playing the role of a serial killer who composes the crime scene in the form of Chinese riddles. Cheng Wei Hao And Yin Chen Hao The introduction of the character Tai, which shows him wearing a straitjacket and a mask, is revealed to be a tribute to Hannibal Lecter.
The cast includes members of the YouTube series “Muyao 4 Super Playing” and singer-songwriter Huang Hsuan.
“GG Precinct” follows the success of “Marry My Dead Body,” which entered Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English Language TV Movies Worldwide in several Asian markets and was Taiwan’s entry for the 2024 Academy Awards.
The series joins a slate of Taiwanese content on Netflix in 2024, including “Let's Talk About CHU” and “The Victim's Game,” and is the first Chinese-language reboot on the platform.
