South Korea is preparing its own version of one of India’s most celebrated thrillers, Drishyam. Acclaimed filmmaker Deok Noh has officially been announced as the director of the Korean adaptation. The confirmation came through Choi Jae-won, president of Anthology Studios, during the Asian Contents & Film Market at the Busan International Film Festival.
Partnership Between India and Korea
The Korean remake of Drishyam was first revealed in 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival as a partnership between India’s Panorama Studios and South Korea’s Anthology Studios. Panorama Studios, helmed by producers Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak, is the original rights holder of the Drishyam franchise. Anthology Studios, on the other hand, is a high-profile South Korean production company founded by industry leaders including former Warner Bros. Korea head Choi Jae-won (Jay Choi), globally renowned actor Song Kang-ho (from Parasite), and visionary director Kim Jee-woon.
Deok Noh’s Directorial Journey
Director Deok Noh made her mark with the 2013 romantic comedy Very Ordinary Couple, which won the Asian New Talent Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. She later shifted to darker, more complex narratives with the newsroom thriller The Exclusive: Beat the Devil’s Tattoo (2015). In recent years, she has been involved in television, including the sci-fi anthology SF8 (2020) and the Netflix mystery drama Glitch (2022). Noh brings both versatility and strong narrative vision to the new Drishyam project.
The Global Legacy of Drishyam
The original Drishyam was written and directed by Jeetu Joseph in 2013. The Malayalam-language film, starring superstar Mohanlal, told the gripping story of a family man whose life takes a dark turn after a tragedy and his desperate attempts to protect his loved ones. The film was not only a box-office success but also a cultural phenomenon, leading to blockbuster remakes across multiple languages:
- Kannada (Drishya, 2014)
- Telugu (Drushyam, 2014)
- Tamil (Papanasam, 2015)
- Hindi (Drishyam, 2015, starring Ajay Devgn)
- Sinhala (Dharmayuddhaya, 2017)
- Chinese (Sheep Without a Shepherd, 2019), which became a huge hit grossing nearly $200 million.
The sequel, Drishyam 2, continued the success streak. Filmed during the pandemic, it premiered on Prime Video in 2021 in Malayalam, and further versions followed in Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi. The Hindi sequel, released in 2022, turned out to be one of Bollywood’s biggest global earners, collecting $45 million worldwide.
Expanding the Franchise Worldwide
Besides the Korean remake, Panorama Studios is also working on an English-language adaptation in collaboration with Gulfstream Pictures and JOAT Films.
Meanwhile, Anthology Studios continues making waves internationally. Their project The Hole, directed by Kim Jee-woon and featuring Theo James, Hoyeon (Squid Game), Yeom Hye-ran, and Christian Slater, was picked up for worldwide release by Amazon MGM’s Orion Pictures Label through a major Cannes acquisition deal in 2023.
What’s Next?
According to Choi Jae-won, filming of the Korean Drishyam remake will commence next year. With Deok Noh’s proven storytelling strengths and the pedigree of Anthology Studios, anticipation is already high. Fans of both Indian and Korean cinema are eager to see how this gripping story will be reimagined for a new cultural backdrop.
