NHK’s first drama adaptation goes to South Korea

This is NHK’s first adaptation deal with an overseas partner and adds momentum to NEP’s moves to push forward its drama slate.

“I’ll Still Love You Ten Years from Now” was aired by NHK in 2010. It’s a romantic comedy in which a woman’s future husband travels 10 years back through time to stop her from marrying him in the present because their marriage has completely fallen apart in the future. Filled with the thrills and bittersweet moments that come with being in love, it’s a touching story for anyone who wonders how things would turn out if they could live their life again.

The screenplay is the work of the multi-award-winning Japanese hitmaker Omori Mika, whose many credits also include the drama “Buzzer Beat”, the movie “Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler”, and the NHK shows “Kurara: The Dazzling Life of Hokusai’s Daughter”, “Here Comes Asa!”, “Reach Beyond the Blue Sky”, and “Saint” (which is also available as format from NEP).

The South Korean adaptation will be produced by the major South Korean production house Big Ocean ENM. The firm has had a string of drama hits including the globally streamed Netflix shows “Our Beloved Summer” and “Tomorrow”.

The Korean screenplay will be written by Kim Jae-hwan, whose credits include the South Korean box-office hit movie “Operation Chromite”. When Kim saw “I’ll Still Love You Ten Years from Now”, he instantly fell in love with the story and has since nurtured the idea of adapting it.

NEP’s General Manager of Content Distribution, Yonemura Yuko, commented: “We’re thrilled about this first-ever adaptation licensing deal for an NHK drama. Big Ocean ENM is a real success among South Korean production houses, so we’re excited to see how it adapts this drama. NHK’s dramas have been selling well internationally, and we’ve always hoped to license more scripted formats. This deal will give us momentum to do more’.

Big Ocean ENM producer Lee Seri said: ‘We’re delighted that such outstanding content has brought NEP and Big Ocean ENM together as partners. We’re getting ready to devote all our energy to the adaptation so as to make it a success in South Korea and more widely around the world’.

Screenwriter Kim Jae-hwan added: ‘When I first saw this drama, it struck me as a profound, new way to look at love. Ever since then, I’ve been wanting to adapt it for South Korea. I’m thrilled that I now have the opportunity’.

Big Ocean ENM plans to start filming at the end of this year with a view to making a dozen 65-minute episodes.

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