By Jesse Whittock, Zac Ntim, Max Goldbart

Warner Bros. Discovery Strikes Film Deal With Former Employee; 'The Intern' To Be Remade

Warner Bros. Discovery is going to do business with one of its longest-serving executives in Asia and will remake The Intern as part of the deal. The entertainment giant has signed a first-look film deal with Jack Nguyen and his JOAT Films. Under the terms of the deal, Nguyen will present Asian-focused films to the studio, with a focus on local language remakes of WBD's English-language films. First up will be a Korean remake of the 2015 comedy-drama The Intern, starring Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway and Rene Russo the lead roles. “Jack is an industry veteran with an unparalleled understanding of the film production business in Asia,” said Kurt Rieder, SVP, Head of Theatrical Distribution, APAC, WBD. “There is a huge demand for remakes of universally beloved Hollywood stories in the region and we look forward to working with Jack to bring it to life through a new local lens.” Nguyen spent 30 years at WBD, where he oversaw local language operations in the Asia and Latin America regions, and led market launches in China, India, Japan, and Korea. He led the vertical business that included Letters from Iwo Jima, the Rurouni Kenshin franchise and Yurusarezaru Mono, the remake of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winner Unforgiven. Out of Korea, Warner Bros. produced and distributed The Age of Shadows, Korea's submission for the 2017 Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film, and The Witch. "I aims to shine a spotlight on new and talented filmmakers by finding “diamonds in the rough” projects that deserve attention on the world stage,” said Nguyen. “I’m excited to begin this new chapter with the most legendary studio in Hollywood.”

Another senior Sony India TV executive leaves