After garnering massive success in India and China markets, the cult franchise, Drishyam is set to go global. Producers Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak announced the Korean remake of the thriller franchise at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. Now, they are set to achieve a new milestone. Panorama Studios has joined hands with Gulfstream Pictures and JOAT Films to make Drishyam in Hollywood – a first for an Indian film.

Gulfstream Pictures is co-founded by Mike Karz and Bill Bindley, who produced Blended, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, and Upgraded, featuring Camila Mendes, Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin. JOAT Films founder Jack Nguyen is a film industry veteran and a former Warner Bros executive supervising the Asia region’s production business. The banner specializes in cross-territorial local language remakes.

Panorama Studios has acquired the international remake rights to Drishyam 1 and 2 from the original producers, Aashirvad Cinemas. The franchise is being developed in the US and Korea, and a development deal for a Spanish-language version is being finalized. In addition, other countries are also being considered.

Kumar Mangat Pathak, Chairman and Managing Director, Panorama Studios, shared, “Drishyam’s clever narrative has a universal appeal and we are keen to celebrate this story with audiences worldwide. We are very happy with this collaboration to create this story for Hollywood. After Korea and Hollywood, our mission is to produce Drishyam in 10 countries in the next three to five years.” 

Producer Abhishek Pathak, who also directed Drishyam 2, said, “We have received immense love from our Indian audiences, who have made the Drishyam franchise a massive success. The strength of Drishyam lies in its story, and we want it to be enjoyed by audiences globally.”

While the Korean and English versions are in the making, the remake of the Malayalam film has had a successful run in various languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sinhala and Chinese.

In a joint statement, Mike Karz and Bill Bindley of Gulfstream Pictures said, “We are very happy to collaborate on an English language adaptation of Drishyam. The film is a timeless thriller that has entranced audiences across the globe. We can’t wait to bring the movie to fans here in the US.”

Jack Nguyen, founder of JOAT Films, said, “Drishyam has a unique yet enduring story. It combines drama, emotional highs and lows in a riveting cat-and-mouse tale, and our adaptation will undoubtedly keep audiences on the edge of their seats. The story has clearly resonated with audiences worldwide, as evidenced by the numerous remakes it has spawned. We are excited to have the opportunity to present our take on this cleverly crafted thriller to audiences globally.”

During the Cannes Film Festival, Kumar Mangat Pathak’s Panorama Studios and Anthology Studios, founded by former Warner Bros. local Korean production head Jay Choi, Parasite actor Song Kang-ho and director Kim Jee-woon made an exciting announcement. The two studios will join hands to produce the Drishyam franchise in Korean language. The announcement was made at India Pavilion in Cannes in the presence of the studio heads. This would be the first-ever collaboration between an Indian and a Korean studio and the first time a Hindi film is being officially remade in Korean.

Drishyam, an Indian franchise, proved successful in many Indian languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi. The Hindi sequel, directed by Abhishek Pathak, which released last year, became a huge success. The Chinese remake, Sheep Without A Shepherd, too, won the audience’s appreciation. Ajay Devgn and Tabu headlined the franchise in Hindi.

Kumar Mangat Pathak says, “I’m excited that the Drishyam franchise is being made in Korean, a first for a Hindi film. This will not only increase its reach outside India, but will also put Hindi cinema on the global map. All these years, we have been inspired by Korean fare, and now they have found a muse in one of our films. What can be a bigger achievement for the Indian film fraternity.”

Jay Choi added, “We are thrilled to have an opportunity to remake a successful Hindi film with a touch of originality from Korean cinema. The remake has greater significance as the first major co-production between Korea and India. Through our partnership, we will be able to bring the best of both Indian and Korean cinema and make a meaningful remake that is as excellent as the original.”

Pathak is confident that the Drishyam franchise will find an audience in Korea and around the world. “This is the beginning of a valuable cultural exchange between both countries and film industries,” he says.

US-based Jack Nguyen will serve as the executive producer of the project. He had collaborated with Pathak on Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge and with Jay Choi and his team to produce a slate of Korean films. 

Jack Nguyen says, “I have a history with and utmost respect for these highly-regarded producers, so it was a natural fit for me to bring them together to collaborate on a great story in Drishyam. I’m excited to help them make history with this first-of-its-kind Indian-Korean co-production.”