SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skydance Television today announced that it has partnered with CJ ENM, the studio behind the multiple Academy Award-winning Parasite, and its subsidiary Studio Dragon to develop a television series based on the hit South Korean fantasy drama Hotel Del Luna. The new series will be reimagined for a global audience with Alison Schapker (Altered Carbon, Scandal, Fringe) developing and producing as part of her overall deal with Skydance Television. Hotel Del Luna is a priority for both studios, marking the first of many upcoming co-developments since announcing their strategic partnership earlier this year to create compelling stories with worldwide appeal.
Studio Dragon recently established a U.S. branch and is the first Korean studio to partner with a U.S. production company in the development and production of scripted entertainment. Skydance Television continues to rapidly expand its series development and is currently in various stages of production on multiple series across a wide range of streaming and premium cable platforms.
“At its core, Hotel Del Luna is a spectacular visual fantasy grounded in a story about the importance of human connection, lost loves and unfinished business,” said Bill Bost, President, Skydance Television. “We are excited to be partnering with Alison and Studio Dragon to bring this timeless story to a global audience.”
“We are thrilled to have Alison lead the adaptation of Hotel Del Luna, hopefully our first of many co-development projects with Skydance,” said Hyun Park, Head of Studio Dragon’s Global Division. “We believe Hotel Del Luna will enhance the reputation of Korean storytelling around the world by showcasing the global appeal of our local stories.”
Schapker will serve as executive producer of the series along with Miky Lee, Jinnie Choi, Hyun Park of CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost of Skydance Television.
Hotel Del Luna (directed by Oh Chung-hwan and Kim Jung-hyun, written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran) aired in 2019 on tvN and was produced by Studio Dragon. Hotel Del Luna is a fantasy drama that features an elite hotelier who becomes the manager of Hotel Del Luna, a mystical hotel that only caters to spirits at night, after stumbling upon a fateful event. The series was one of the biggest hits of 2019 in the Asian territory.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner for Skydance Television’s Altered Carbon. Previously, she was a writer and co-executive producer on ABC’s hit Scandal. She is well known for her work on the ABC espionage series Alias and for the FOX science-fiction series Fringe. She has also worked on series such as Charmed, Lost, Almost Human and served as showrunner for two seasons of Brothers & Sisters.
In addition to Schapker, Skydance Television has entered into strategic overall deals with some of the industry’s top producers including David S. Goyer and Nick Santora along with rising talents Olivia Purnell and Lewaa Nasserdeen. Its current television slate includes Netflix’s longest running series Grace and Frankie, Altered Carbon, Condor, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Foundation and Jack Reacher.
Studio Dragon recently set up Studio Dragon International, its U.S. subsidiary, in Los Angeles. Studio Dragon International will focus on developing and producing U.S. shows, based on existing Studio Dragon IP, as well as original stories. The subsidiary will further showcase the strength and adaptability of Korean IP as well as the creativity of Korea’s best writers and directors.
About Skydance Media
Skydance is the diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high-quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories with immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive and animation divisions. Skydance’s upcoming feature films include the highly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, The Old Guard, Without Remorse, Snake Eyes, The Tomorrow War and the upcoming seventh and eighth installments of the Mission: Impossible film series. Skydance Television was launched in 2013, and its diverse slate includes Grace and Frankie, Altered Carbon, Condor, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Foundation and Jack Reacher across a range of platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+. Skydance Interactive launched in 2016 to create and publish original and IP-based virtual reality video games; its library includes the survival- horror game The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners and the mech-shooter Archangel: Hellfire. Skydance Animation was formed in 2017 to develop and produce a slate of high-end feature films and television series and in 2020 formed Skydance Animation Madrid, establishing a presence across two continents. The first slated movie is Luck.
About Studio Dragon
Studio Dragon is South Korea’s largest scripted television studio whose businesses involve everything from planning and development to financing, production, and distribution. The company was founded in 2016 as a division of CJ ENM Media Content and has created over 197 series with its team of 211 creative professionals, consisting of writers, directors, and producers. In the end of 2020, Studio Dragon will have produced 28 series for both Korea’s terrestrial and cable broadcasting networks, and Netflix. In addition to its recent global hit Netflix series, Crash Landing on You (2019), Studio Dragon is also credited in the creation of The Arthdal Chronicles (2019), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016). The New York Times listed Stranger (2017) in The 10 Best Shows of 2017, while Mother (2018) was included in the official competition selection of the Cannes International Series Festival. The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix, an article recently published by Time magazine, listed five Studio Dragon series: Crash Landing on You (2019), Mr. Sunshine (2018), Hi Bye, Mama! (2020), Signal (2016), and Stranger (2017). Studio Dragon, having established its US branch in early 2020, hopes to collaborate with leading global production companies to plan and produce local TV series for the global audience.
