Upcoming romantic comedy “Everything about My Wife,” starring stars Im Soo-jung and Lee Sun-kyun, was belatedly found to be a remake of an Argentinean movie released in 2008. 

The production house has never mentioned the flick being an adaptation of “Un novio para mi mujer” (A Boyfriend for My Wife) by director Juan Taratuto. Some websites have even credited director Min Kyu-dong as the screenwriter.
Zip Cinema, the producer of the film, confirmed the fact Wednesday only when asked by The Korea Herald.

“We though it wasn’t really necessary for the promotion of the film,” an insider of the production company said. “It’s not like the original film is a box-office smashing Hollywood movie.”

This was the first time it was confirmed not to be an original work though the production house started sending press releases about the movie last year -- even before the shooting began.

The two movies share the same basic plot, where an unhappily married man hires a womanizer to romance his beautiful yet ill-tempered wife -- hoping she will ask for a divorce once she falls in love with the man.

“It depends on their contract,” said an official from the Korea Film Council. “If the contract specified that the Korean movie has to credit the original movie, then it would be unethical not to mention it from the very beginning. If it didn’t, then there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Actress Im, whose best works include director Hur Jin-ho’s 2008 poignant romance “Happiness” and Lee Yoon-ki’s 2011 drama “Come Rain, Come Shine,” is starring as the unpredictable wife. She is paired up with popular actor Lee Sun-kyun, whose latest thriller “Helpless” (local title “Hwacha”) has been a hit at the box office since its release last month.

The film is directed by Min Kyu-dong, who is best known for his 2009 drama “Five Senses of Eros” and family tearjerker “The Last Blossom“ released last year. He wrote the Korean script of the remake, according to Zip Cinema.

The womanizer hired by husband Lee is played by actor Ryoo Seung-ryong, who last year starred in period epic “Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon” and war drama “The Front Line.”

“Everything about My Wife” is slated to open in theaters on May 17. 



By Claire Lee

(dyc@heraldcorp.com)