Originally published January 22, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
During an interview with Screen Daily, Fox International Production Korea chief Kim Ho-sung has revealed that Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is in talks about securing the English-language remake rights to Na Hong-jin’s acclaimed South Korean horror movie The Wailing.
“They said The Wailing reminded them of films such as The Exorcist, The Ring and Seven,” said Kim. “The locality and sensibility of The Wailing is so strong that I don’t think it would be easy to do a Western remake, and it will be important who directs it. So I told him I think the only director who could do the remake is Na Hong-jin. But we are still in early stages of talks. We’re being careful. As you know, there are a lot of remakes out there being developed [that haven’t come to fruition].”
The Wailing takes place in a rural village in South Korea, which becomes rocked by a series of unexplained deaths following the arrival of a mysterious stranger. When a policeman’s daughter falls foul of the same violent spell, he finds himself drawn into the mystery and the search for a cure becomes ever more desperate. You can read our review of the film here.
