Toni Gonzaga was set to portray the title role for the remake of popular Korean drama “My Sassy Girl,” a film company announced yesterday.
While her fans were immediately delighted, some fans of the original film have some reservations.
TinCan, the film outfit that Gonzaga established in 2018, announced on social media on Wednesday, January 20 that Gonzaga will play the titular role of Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun in the 2001 hit Korean movie.
Jun was also famous for another the Korean series “My Love from the Star” in 2013 that GMA made a Philippine adaptation of in 2017.
“In celebration of its 20th Anniversary, this year we will relive the classic Korean RomCom with its Philippine adaptation. On her birthday, we are proud to announce Toni Gonzaga is Philippines’ My Sassy Girl,” the post read.
The post also included teaser still shots of the local remake wherein one of them featured the familiar train station setting where the main actor Gyeon-woo (Tae-Hyun Cha) first met “the sassy girl” or “the girl” (Jun Ji-hyun).
The Filipino actor who will play Gyeon-woo was not yet confirmed. Based on the photos, some Filipinos speculate the role to be portrayed by actor Pepe Herrera.
The original film follows the adventures of Gyeon-woo, a good-natured, clueless college student and The Girl, a pretty girl whose identity was never revealed throughout the film.
This was the first of the “My Sassy Girl” trilogy by director/screenwriter Kwak Jae Young.
This movie became widely popular that Hollywood made its own adaptation of the same name in 2008. It starred Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert in 2008.
When it premiered in the Philippines, its original soundtrack “I Believe” by Shin Seung-hun had a Filipino version that was performed by Jimmy Bondoc.
Following the announcement, Gonzaga’s fans immediately expressed their excitement online, saying that this project had long been sought after.
Others even shared how much they see Gonzaga in Jun after watching “My Sassy Girl” back then.
“I’ve always really said before that Toni Gonzaga is like the Jun Ji-Hyun version of the Philippines. And now here she is, doing the ever classic My Sassy Girl movie!” one Twitter user said.
I’ve always really said before that Toni Gonzaga is like the Jun Ji-Hyun version of the Philippines. And now here she is, doing the ever classic My Sassy Girl movie! 🤧 #MySassyGirlPH pic.twitter.com/4YUFurOz2d
— Carl Daniel R. Ganal (@carldanielganal) January 20, 2021
Some fans of the Korean movie, however, did not agree with Gonzaga playing the part. For them, Gonzaga appeared too old for The Girl’s role given the setting.
Some users also expressed their disappointment if Herrera was chosen to play her partner.
The Philippines had been making local remakes of South Korean drama series and movies for years.
Last year, GMA released on Netflix the Philippine version of the award-winning 2016 drama “Descendants of the Sun.”
