'Snowpiercer' Set To Become An American TV Show
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bong Joon Ho's post-apocalyptic ice age fantasy film "The Snowpiercer" will be transformed into an American TV show.
The film was based on the French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige" and tells the story of a train traveling through a futuristic ice age. Despite the fact that only a handful of humans survive, the train operates under a rigid class system in which the privileged few live in luxury and many train workers live in misery. What other options do they have in the frozen world outside?
The international cast included Chris Bell, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang Ho, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Ed Harris and Go Ah Sung.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the story will be adapted for TV by Josh Friedman, who wrote the screenplays for the "Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "War of the Worlds." Given the ending of the film, the TV story may be a prequel about the dystopian world that led up to the remains of humanity living on a train. Friedman told the entertainment publication Variety that he was excited to work on the project as he is a fan of Bong Joon Ho's.
"I'm a huge fan of Bong's films, especially 'Snowpiercer.' It's great the way the best sci-fi is great-thoughtful, political, funny, scary and sly. And it's on a train."
Bong Joon Ho and fellow producers Choi Doo Ho and Park Chan Wook will be involved in the production of the television show.
When the film was released in 2014, it earned $4.5 million Korea before earning $86.8 million worldwide. The film also received critical praise and award nominations. The film review site Rotten Tomatoes gave it a "95 percent fresh" designation. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Chris Nash gave it an "A." And The New York Times reviewer A.O.Scott said that as a film, it worked "brilliantly."
With $40 million in production costs "Snowpiercer" was one of the most expensive Korean movies of all time but it helped Bong Joon Ho make significant inroads into the American entertainment market.
The streaming site Netflix is financing Bong's next project "Okja" with $50 million. According to Variety, Brad Pitt's company Plan B is set to produce the project which is reported to star Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Kelly MacDonald and Bill Nighy. Bong told Variety that his new film is the story of a kind-hearted brute who befriends a country girl.
Okja" is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in April 2016 in Korea and the U.S. The film's release is expected in the first half of 2017.
