So, we got another kdrama remake in the works in America. Not that we haven't had many others that claimed they would be made and eventually never came about, but, since this has more companies tied to it seems like more of a possibility that it will be made. I am not opposed to American remakes of kdramas all the time, but, I think that sometimes the remakes need to be chosen more carefully. Hotel Del Luna is not one of the stories I would have chosen for an American remake. But, I guess it is better than choosing Hwayugi or Hwarang. Those two would have never worked.
But, Hotel Del Luna feels very kdrama-ish and currently I can't imagine what an American version would look like. I guess the only thing that America does well in TV shows, that this show includes, is the episodes have a story of the week in each episode. These ghost stories conclude in a single episode but, there is an over arching storyline through the whole show mostly having to do with our main character. Although, I loved the drama and the ending some people were not totally satisfied with the ending and thus this ending should probably not be the same in the American version. Since we have had many remakes for My Love from the Stars and Itazura na kiss then I will be using those two as examples for what works best in a remake. Personally, I think this drama only did as well as it did because of the star power of IU and the pretty cinematography. Looking at the young American actresses that could carry the show I only found one that I could think of, Selena Gomez.
I am almost positive she would not go for being in this remake, however. My sister on the other hand is convinced they could do this show well with a brand new actress and shoot her into fame. I mean, I guess that is possible but, it is hard for me to believe. I guess you could choose someone from Riverdale or Sabrina or 13 Reasons Why since this would be the right age group for the main actress. They could, I guess, pick Jenna Coleman, Florence Pugh, Lucy Hale or Daisy Ridley, Zendaya, Katherine Langford, Sofia Carson, or Zoey Deutch, but,I still think that these actresses would not be quite right for the role. Jang Man Wol the main character was basically written to be played by IU and it shows. The scriptwriters (Hong Sisters) admitted that they were going to change the show and characters if they were not able to cast IU for the main role.
With that in mind, the American remake should not try to redo the story for an American audience with the same characters but, instead only the premise should stay the same. The premise is as follows: a young woman is in charge of a hotel for ghosts for a number of years and she hires the main guy as her manager. If this show does not try to do scene by scene recreation of the kdrama it will be better received by most. I am taking this idea from the fact that we have two shows that have been remade several times by different countries. These shows are My Love from the Stars (which almost got it's own American remake) and Itazura na Kiss. My Love from the Stars got several remakes from the Philippines, Thailand and Chinese inspired shows, that are more alike then I think was good for them.
The Philippines' budget was significantly less the Kdrama budget and it shows. I found it hard to not compare the remake with the original as it copied some scenes and lines almost shot for shot but with a low budget. Also, this remake felt student made at times and was cringy and hard to watch while the actor and actress tried their best.
The Thailand version did a better job as it included some elements of their own that helped to develop the characters and story a little more but it still felt like a repeat story. In both of these cases the story felt unnecessary since we already had a perfectly fine version that ended well with great actors. On the other hand, Itazura na kiss has had many more remakes than My Love From the Stars and yet, I would say almost all of them have something great to offer. (The exception here is the 1996 Japanese version, all other versions so far have been awesome.)
Itazura na Kiss is a simple story with a very basic plot, the dumbest girl in school is in love with the smartest boy in school.
(Frankly, they could do this sort of plot in an American movie and still hit a lot of the main points of the story without little change. It would probably have to be a private school in America though because it has very weird school elements not found in any American schools. But, it could be done. ) Taking in mind the several remakes or adaptations made from the manga, it is easy to see what path they should follow while remaking Hotel Del Luna. There are 4 really popular remakes that everyone watches when talking about Itazura na Kiss. 3 out of the 4 try to be pretty accurate to the storyline and do a pretty good job, mostly for these versions everyone is just talking about the best actor and actress and who really had the chemistry. The American version is not going to be able to get the characters and actors correct since the main character was basically written for a certain actress (IU) and so, they should give up trying to do that. Instead, they should do what the other remake out of the 4 did. That last remake which is praised for the great chemistry between leads but not for being accurate to the characters or storyline is a Thailand drama called Kiss Me.
Kiss Me followed the basic premise the dumbest girl in school falls for the smartest boy in school but, changes both of the main characters to a certain extent and their storyline has completely different backstories and plotlines. Because of this, everyone was able to watch the story and love it for being it's own story and yet feel some connection to the old story. This is what the American remake of Hotel Del Luna should be. The basic premise: a cursed woman has to live for years running a hotel for ghosts until her new manager helps break her curse and free her from this life, should stay the same, but, the character of the main girl and her new manager should be different characters. Thus, we can see the original and see this version without feeling that this version is ruining the original. This story should take place in same universe as the original, and not be recreating the same scenes or plotlines from the original. While the original shows what happens with Jang Man Wol and how she got the Hotel and what she has to do while she lives in Korea with the Korean hotel for ghosts, the American remake should show how Cindy (😄IU's character in Producers) had to be forced into running Hotel for Ghosts in America.
Their stories should be significantly different but follow similar or the same rules. Like the Harry Potter books only follow what happens in UK's magic school, a series on the American magic schools would be different and contain different characters and plotlines. The same would follow here. Expand the universe instead of causing controversy and hardship by people fighting over these two series. With that in mind, leave a chance for a cameo from one of the cast members like the main lead guy who went to Harvard in Hotel Del Luna and call your show something else. Have your main lead girl call your Hotel for Ghosts something else not Hotel Del Luna.
This will allow you to promote this series while not alienating the original series. That is what I reccomend.
