China to Remake “Itaewon Class”

A Chinese production company announced that they plan on remaking popular South Korean drama Itaewon Class. Renamed Chang Le Wei Yang <長樂未央>, the drama will start filming in August.

Based on the popular webtoon, Itaewon Class originally aired in 2020 and received high ratings and good reviews. The story starts with a young Park Sae Royi (Park SeoJoon) whose father was a victim of a hit and run, where the perpetrator eluded the law due to his wealth and social status. In an attempt to avenge his father, Park ends up in jail for assaulting the perpetrator. After completing his sentence, Park worked hard labor jobs due to his limited education and criminal background. He worked hard for seven years to save enough money to open a small bar in Itaewon and start his revenge plan.

Due to streaming on Netflix, Itaewon Class gained international attention and also increased Park Seo Joon’s fame. The drama was remade in Japan last year and was titled Roppongi Class, which starred Ryoma Takeuchi, Yuko Araki, and Yurina Hirate.

The webtoon’s creator Gwang Jin expressed, “After South Korea and Japan, China is now the third country to remake Itaewon Class. From this, I sense the status of South Korean webtoons are continuing to rise in significance. I’ve been told that China’s version of Itaewon Class will have a strong production crew and famous actors, so I’m very excited to see the final product.”

Source: [1]