CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon and Skydance Television Sign First Co-production Project
English language adaptation of Korean Hit “Hotel Del Luna”
Studio Dragon’s hit series chosen as first project following CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and Skydance Media’s strategic partnership launch on February 2020
(SEOUL, KOREA ? JUNE 24, 2020) - Popular Korean TV series “Hotel Del Luna (Directed by Oh Chung-hwan and Kim Jung-hyun, written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran)” is to be adapted into an English language TV series for a global audience. Studio Dragon produced the original series, which aired on tvN from July to September of 2019. Studio Dragon and Skydance TV, Skydance Media’s television scripted division, will jointly develop and produce the series.
On February 2020, CJ ENM and Studio Dragon signed a strategic partnership with Skydance Media for the joint development, - production and investment in film, scripted and unscripted television series, as well as animation. Skydance Media is a global film and television studio that produced tentpole films such as the “Mission Impossible” franchise, “Terminator”, and “6 Underground” and breakout television series such as “Grace and Frankie”, “Jack Ryan” and “Altered Carbon.”
Through this partnership with Skydance, Studio Dragon will play an active role in the development, production, financing and distribution process of the TV series. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies have been actively developing a series of project, with Hotel Del Luna being the first one to attach a writer.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner for Skydance Television’s Altered Carbon. Previously, she was a writer and co-executive producer on ABC’s hit Scandal. She is well known for her work on the ABC espionage series Alias and for the FOX science-fiction series Fringe. She has also worked on series such as Charmed, Lost, Almost Human and served as showrunner for two seasons of Brothers & Sisters.
Schapker will develop and serve as executive producer of the series along with Miky Lee, Jinnie Choi, Hyun Park of CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost of Skydance.
“We are thrilled to have Alison lead the adaptation of Hotel Del Luna, hopefully our first of many co-development projects with Skydance,” said Hyun Park, Head of Studio Dragon’s Global Division. “We believe Hotel Del Luna will enhance the reputation of Korean storytelling around the world by showcasing the global appeal of our local stories.”
“At its core, Hotel Del Luna is a spectacular visual fantasy grounded in a story about the importance of human connection, lost loves and unfinished business,” said Bill Bost, President, Skydance Television. “We are excited to be partnering with Alison and Studio Dragon to bring this timeless story to a global audience.”
“Hotel Del Luna” is a fantasy romance that features an elite hotelier who becomes the manager of Hotel Del Luna, a mystical hotel that only caters to spirits at night, after stumbling upon a fateful event. The series was a one of the biggest hits of 2019 in the Asian territory.
Studio Dragon recently set up Studio Dragon International, its U.S. subsidiary, in Los Angeles. Studio Dragon International will focus on developing and producing US shows, based on existing Studio Dragon IP, as well as original stories. The subsidiary will further showcase the strength and adaptability of Korean IP as well as the creativity of Korea’s best writers and directors.
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[About Studio Dragon]
Studio Dragon is South Korea’s largest scripted television studio whose businesses involve everything from planning and development to financing, production, and distribution. The company was founded in 2016 as a division of CJ ENM Media Content and has created over 197 series with its team of 211 creative professionals, consisting of writers, directors, and producers. In the end of 2020, Studio Dragon will have produced 28 series for both Korea’s terrestrial and cable broadcasting networks, and Netflix. In addition to its recent global hit Netflix series, Crash Landing on You (2019), Studio Dragon is also credited in the creation of The Arthdal Chronicles (2019), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016). The New York Times listed Stranger (2017) in The 10 Best Shows of 2017, while Mother (2018) was included in the official competition selection of the Cannes International Series Festival. The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix, an article recently published by Time magazine, listed five Studio Dragon series: Crash Landing on You (2019), Mr. Sunshine (2018), Hi Bye, Mama! (2020), Signal (2016), and Stranger (2017). Studio Dragon, having established its US branch in early 2020, hopes to collaborate with leading global production companies to plan and produce local TV series for the global audience.
[About Skydance Media]
Skydance is the diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high-quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories with immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive and animation divisions. Skydance’s upcoming feature films include the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, The Old Guard, Without Remorse, Snake Eyes, The Tomorrow War and the upcoming seventh and eighth installments of the Mission: Impossible film series. Skydance Television was launched in 2013, and its diverse slate includes Grace and Frankie, Altered Carbon, Condor, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Foundation and Jack Reacher across a range of platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+. Skydance Interactive launched in 2016 to create and publish original and IP-based virtual reality video games; its library includes the survival- horror game The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners and the mech-shooter Archangel: Hellfire. Skydance Animation was formed in 2017 to develop and produce a slate of high-end feature films and television series and in 2020 formed Skydance Animation Madrid and established a presence across two continents. The first slated movie is Luck.
