SM fans rejoice! EXO’s Lay and f(x)’s Krystal have been cast as the leads for the upcoming Chinese movie “Kite Flying” (working title) that plans to open in theaters later next year. Filming will start by the end of this year.
Director Seong Si Heup, who also directed the movie “Plan Man,” has taken on “Kite Flying.” The movie itself is an unprecedented concept in which K-pop stars and a Korean director make a movie for a Chinese audience.
An SM representative relayed, “The two have decided to star in ‘Kite Flying’ and are currently in preparation. We have high expectations for them because they are highly esteemed celebrities in not only Korea but in China as well.”
40 percent of the filming for “Kite Flying” will be take place in Korea. The main backdrop is most likely to be Busan, also called “The City of Movies” due to its popularity in being used as a movie and drama location. Officials hope that with the success of “Kite Flying,” more Chinese tourists will visit Busan.
The movie itself tells the story of a man and woman who achieve both work and love through dancing. Lay and Krystal were first on the casting list due to their dancing skills that have been trained through years of performing as idol group members.
Meanwhile, China has shown keen interest in Korea’s movie market since the success of the Chinese movie “20 Once Again,” which is a remake of the Korean movie “Miss Granny.” Not only are they casting Korean stars, but they are also hiring Korean staff members and filming in Korea as well.
“You can tell China’s keen interest in Korea’s movie market by how NEW, one of the four major investment distributors in Korea, created “HUACE & NEW” with China’s Huace Media. More actors, directors, and staff will be headed towards China because it has 10 times the number of theaters in Korea, up to the point where it is called Chollywood (China + Hollywood),” shared a film industry insider.
Are you excited for this movie?
