After 16 years, “Meteor Garden” will finally be getting a remake!
We’re not kidding guys. Angie Chai, who produced the original 2001 series, informed fans of the good news on Tuesday (11th April) via her Weibo.
According to news site Apple Daily, the remake will be a fuller and flashier adaptation of the books and will contain 48 episodes. The budget for the remake is around RM104 million (NT$720 million), which translates to around RM2 million (NT$15 million) per episode. With that amount of money, it’s 30 times the budget for the 2001 drama, which only cost RM72 thousand per episode.
However, the question on everyone’s mind is – who’s gonna play the characters?
While nothing solid has been confirmed, several fans have claimed that former EXO member Kris Wu Yifan has signed on for the main role. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Kris’ name was actually brought up by the website NetEase, who were proposing names of possible actors to tackle the role of Dao Ming Si.
This was also stressed by Chai, who told Apple Daily that no actors or actresses have been confirmed. She explained, “We may use new people, idols or serious actors. Everyone is welcome to offer candidates.”
Don’t worry though, with Kris’ immense popularity, we’re sure that he’ll be considered for the role 😉
The producer also did not dismiss the idea of cameos by the original cast, and only gave an ambiguous reply regarding the issue. “We’ll see. We’re still at the screenwriting stage,” said Chai.
The production team has also roped in new Chinese screenwriters to work on the adaptation, with original screenwriter Sharon Mao leading the team. According to a alleged memo from a studio, production will commence in May, with shooting expected to last up to 6 months. The story line of the 2018 series will also be loyal to the original series.
“Meteor Garden” is based on the Japanese shojo manga series, “Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango?)”, written by Yoko Kamio. The series was extremely popular and propelled the 4 main actors, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu, and Ken Chu, to fame. They formed the group F4 and released 3 studio albums to much fanfare.
What are you thoughts on the remake? Who do you think should assume the role of F4? Tell us what you think in the comments box below!
To keep yourself up-to-date with the remake, remember to check out their official Weibo.
Sources: The Straits Times, M Time.
