Miramax Films has agreed a "mid six-figure" sum to buy remake rights to Korean comedy Jail Breakers.

The comedy about two felons who break out of jail only days before discovering that they were to be pardoned, Jail Breakers was a hit that notched 550,000 on its first three days on Korean release.

The deal was secured by sales company Cinema Service after strong interest from several US studios and independents. Miramax appears to have been favoured after quickly setting up the film for its Dimension genre label and attaching rappers Method Man and Redman, stars of 2001 comedy How High. The project was brought to Miramax by Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. Dimension, which gets an 18 month option, is not buying the underlying film Korean film. It has yet to attach a director, but is believed to have indicated a budget in excess of $10m.

The original film was directed by Kim Sang-jin, previously responsible for hits Attack The Gas Station and Kick The Moon.