It was just this month that Shen Yue (A Love is Beautiful), Dylan Wang, Darren Chen (Proud of Love), Caesar Wu and Connor Leong were unveiled as the leads for the Meteor Garden remake. There was media frenzy over the announcement especially as they were handpicked by Angie Chai who also produced the 2001 Meteor Garden.
The original which starred Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Ken Chu and Vanness Wu started a trend of Taiwanese idol dramas based on manga and also sparked subsequent adaptations based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio. It’s a love story about a feisty and principled student who finds herself in unchartered territory when she attends a prestigious school dominated by the F4.
The Summer’s Desire remake seems to maintain the melancholic vibe of the original as it revolves around the three main leads played by Sophie Zhang, Qin Jun Jie (Peace in Palace, Peace in Chang An) and Huang Sheng Qi. Filming was completed last month which puts this ahead of schedule compared to the other idol dramas on this list, though what’s interesting is that it has the closest gap to its predecessor which aired seven years ago.
The 2010 Summer’s Desire was coincidentally also headlined by Barbie Hsu with Peter Ho (Nothing Gold Can Stay) and Huang Xiaoming (A Life Time Love) as her leading men. It is based on a Chinese novel by Ming Xiaoxi and tells a story about a heroine who bears scars of her own and finds kinship with a fellow orphan. However, a complicated love triangle develops as she also has a boyfriend who is obsessively in love with her.
Although the title has changed, Ten Years Late is the Chinese remake of the 2002 Taiwanese drama Tomorrow starring Shawn Dou and Gulnezer Bextiyar. It’s a pairup to anticipate especially due to Shawn Dou’s recent rise in popularity from his roles in Princess Agents to the currently airing Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy. Filming began in China last week.
The original starring Rainie Yang, Shawn Yue (Wu Kong), Christine Fan, Eddie Peng (Wu Kong) and Raymond Li is adapted from the Japanese manga Asunaro Hakusho by Fumi Saimon. It follows five university students who become friends and the changes in their relationship as they deal with romance and significant life experiences.
My Lucky Star is the latest addition to the growing list of Taiwanese idol drama remakes. It has been 10 years since the original which seems like a fitting moment to bring back the romance between a wealthy heir and his con artist girlfriend. No cast has been announced yet, but they’ve got big shoes to fill as Jimmy Lin and Yoo Ha Na who played Tianqi and Ah Xiang were such an endearing couple to root for in a story that is sweet and also a tad melodramatic (maybe more than a tad). Shen Yi who worked on the original with Director Chen Ming Zhang returns to direct the remake.
