“METEOR GARDEN” is a drama made in Taiwan in 2001 that was a big hit when shown later in the Philippines. It is actually based on a Japanese manga (comics) series, “Boys Over Flowers”, which was not as big a hit as “Meteor Garden” when it was shown in our country later. “Hana Yori Dango”, the original Japanese version, was also shown here and likewise didn’t make waves like “Meteor Garden” did.
Now, they are remaking “Meteor Garden” in Shanghai and ABS-CBN has already bought the rights to its future telecast here in Manila. The new members of the F4 (F is for flower), the elite boy group in a top university, has also been announced. The new actors who will play the lead roles in the remake are Dylan Wang as Dao Ming Si (played then by Jerry Yan), Darren Chen as Hua Ze Lei (by Vic Zhou), Caesar Wu as Ximen (by Ken Chu) and Connor Leong as Meizuo (by Vanness Wu).
The role of San Chai, the brave girl who stood up to their bullying played then by Barbie Shu, will now be played by new Chinese actress Shen Yue. Meantime, GMA-7 has announced that they’ll also do their own version of “Boys Over Flowers”, which has been locally produced in several countries such as Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The F4 members of the original "Boys Over Flowers" were Koreans: Lee Min-ho as Gu Jun-pyo, Kim Hyun-joong as Yoon Ji-hoo, Kim Bum as So Yi-jung, and Kim Joon as Song Woo-bin.
GMA Network First VP for Program Management Jose Mari Abacan is happy to be airing the Philippine adaptation of the said TV series. “We’re very pleased to announce that we are doing our own version of Boys Over Flowers in partnership with JU Entertainment Movie and Drama Inc. It’s a huge project and we promise to give our viewers something to look forward to soon.”
There will be a nationwide audition to find the new cast members of the Pinoy series. “In order for us to find the actors who will portray the coveted characters in the series, we will have a nationwide open casting call that will give equal chance to talented individuals who want to be part of this highly anticipated project.”GMA Films and GMA Worldwide Inc. President Annette Gozon adds: “We hope that we live up to everyone’s expectations and I know the talent of the Filipinos is something to be proud of worldwide, so I’m positive that we won’t disappoint the show’s fans.”
JU Entertainment Movie and Drama Inc. Chief Executive Officer Son Jong Wook looks forward to a successful partnership with GMA Network. “I would like to thank GMA for this partnership. Looking forward to a fruitful relationship with the Network and we are all excited with this project.”
So let’s see which one will be more successful between the two remakes: that of “Meteor Garden” or “Boys Over Flowers”.
