Warner Bros. has kicked off production in Seoul on the Korean remake of The Intern, the hit 2015 workplace dramedy that paired Robert De Niro with Anne Hathaway. The project marks the first title to emerge from Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent first-look pact with longtime Asia executive Jack Nguyen and his company JOAT Films.
The local retelling is directed by Kim Do-young, best known for the feminist hit Kim Ji-young: Born 1982, and toplines revered screen icon Choi Min-sik in the De Niro role of the seasoned intern, opposite Han So-hee as the millennial CEO. Choi, famed for his singular intensity in Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and a career spanning stage and screen, holds a De Niro-like stature in Korean cinema. Han, meanwhile, catapulted to fame as the lovable lead of the smash-hit K-drama romance The World of the Married, and has since starred in Netflix’s My Name and Disney+’s Soundtrack #1.
From left: Han So-hee, director Kim Do-young, and Choi Min-sik.
WBD
The original Intern was a surprise smash in Korea, grossing $24 million following its local release in September 2015 — a standout haul for a Hollywood workplace dramedy. Warner Bros. Korea is co-producing the remake with JOAT Films and Anthology Studios, the Seoul-based banner founded by producer Jay Choi (The Attorney, The Age of Shadows). Shooting began in September and will run through December.
The remake is also the opening salvo in Warner Bros. Discovery’s new deal with Nguyen, one of its longest-serving former execs in the region. Under the first-look arrangement unveiled last year, Nguyen is developing Asia-focused films for the studio, with an emphasis on local-language reimaginings of the studio’s Hollywood IP.
Warners has had a strong year at the Korean box office. The company distributed Apple Original Films’ Brad Pitt-starrer F1, which has grossed $39 million locally, making it South Korea’s biggest film of 2025. The race movie will need to keep its engines revving to retain that title, though, with Japanese anime juggernaut Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle currently just a step behind with $38.6 million and counting.