Kevin Hart Has The 'Extreme Job' Of Remaking Korean Box Office Cop Comedy Hit
Kevin Hart is cooking up the next Hollywood remake of a hit Korean film. In March, Extreme Job became the highest grossing film of all time in South Korea, taking in 14 times greater than the film's budget with a $127 million haul. Now, the South Korean box office smash is coming to the States with a remake.The Wrap broke the news that Kevin Hart is producing and looking to star in the English-language remake of Extreme Job, an action-comedy directed by Byung-heon Lee which follows a group of narcotics detectives who go undercover in a fried chicken joint to stake out a neighboring organized crime gang. But business unexpectedly takes off, and the cops are forced to juggle running a thriving chicken restaurant with catching criminals. Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Little) is on board to adapt the screenplay, while Hart is reportedly eyeing a starring role.
The South Korean film, which stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi and Gong Myung as the undercover cops who run the chicken joint, became a box office phenomenon, breaking records and naturally attracting the attention of Hollywood. But Hart's Extreme Job remake will be a collaboration with CJ Entertainment, the Korean entertainment conglomerate behind the original comedy. Hart will be producing through his HartBeat production banner for Universal Pictures, which acquired the worldwide rights to the film.
"At Hartbeat, we are always seeking fun projects that tell a story for worldwide audiences, and we could not be more excited to be a part of this one," Hart said in a statement. "Tracy Oliver is such an incredible writer who will surely bring this story to life."
Hart joked that the Extreme Job remake is just the stepping stone for his "goal of becoming a K-Pop star." But the comedian and Night School actor does seem invested in a relationship with CJ Entertainment, which is currently working with Hart and Universal for another English-language remake of a Korean film: the female-driven dramedy Bye, Bye, Bye based on the 2011 Korean film Sunny. But the pressure is on for Extreme Job, which is no less than a box office sensation. Let's see if Hart can give the film's hit recipe a fresh new flavor.