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EXCLUSIVE: Runup Vietnam has lined up local remakes of Korean films The Last Ride and Love Reset, part of the first slate of titles from the burgeoning production and licensing company.
The Last Wish is based on 2016 Korean film The Last Ride and marks the feature directorial debut of Doan Si Nguyen, a screenwriter known for Vietnamese films Sister Sister, Daydreamers and Friday Night Fever.
Starring a trio of rising actors - Avin Lu, Hoàng Hà, and Quỳnh Lý – the story follows an 18-year-old student diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease. Despite the grim reality, two close friends take him back to the beach of his childhood for one last, unforgettable memory.
It marks Korean studio Contents Panda’s first venture in co-producing a Vietnamese film. Korean filmmaker Nam Dae-joong, who directed the original, serves as creative producer.
The Last Wish is set to open in Vietnam on July 4 through CJ CGV, followed by a Q3 release in Korea by Contents Panda. Runup Vietnam handles global sales.
Runup Vietnam has also acquired Vietnamese and Indonesian remake rights from Barunson E&A to romantic comedy Love Reset, which was also originally directed by Nam. Both local versions are now at script stage and production is scheduled to start towards year-end.
The original version was the sixth biggest Korean title at the local box office in 2023 and the highest-grossing Korean film in Vietnam that same year. The story centres on married couple on the verge of divorce who lose their memories in a car accident and fall for each other again – leading their families to devise a plan to recall their memories and complete the separation.
“The original Korean film was a commercial hit in Vietnam, grossing around $2m (VND50 billion) from 600,000 admissions,” said Runup Vietnam general director Lee Jin Sung. “The Vietnamese audiences loved the director’s comic style.”
Director Nam will attend the premiere of The Last Wish in Ho Chi Minh City next month, following his previous visit to Vietnam for the local release of Love Reset in 2023.
Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Runup Vietnam was founded last year by Lee Jin Sung, who was with Korea’s Lotte Entertainment for two decades, including five years as general director of Lotte Entertainment Vietnam.
Among the Korean and Vietnamese films that he worked on as executive producer were 2017’s Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds and its 2018 sequel Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, 2018’s Intimate Strangers, 2020’s Blood Moon Party and 2023’s The Last Wife.
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