Hit K-drama SKY Castle reportedly set to get a Japanese remake: Cast, plot, & everything we know so far

The famous K-drama Sky Castle has been recreated for Japan's TV Asahi. According to Variety, the lead cast includes Nao Matsushita, Fumino Kimura, Kyoki, and Manami Higa. Directed by Naomi Tamura, Yuji Nakamae, and Kazunari Hoshino.

TV Asahi partnered with Korean entertainment company SLL in May 2024, and the show will premiere on July 25, 2024 at 9 PM.

The renowned JTBC K-drama, Sky Castle, has been one of the most-viewed series on both domestic and international platforms. The 2018 drama focuses on four ambitious women from wealthy families in Korea, who will stop at nothing to ensure their kids succeed in their academic endeavors and secure a seat in the country's top three universities.

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SKY Castle's Japanese remake reported to focus on high school exams rather than college entrance exams

According to Koreaboo, due to parental intervention, the Japanese adaptation will concentrate on high school examinations. In Japan, it is seen as more challenging than college entrance exams. However, the plot regarding the transformative nature of the exams will remain the same.

For the unversed, the original show derived its name from South Korea's "SKY Universities." It is an acronym made with the first letter of the Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University.

The colleges are considered the elite trio of the nation which accepts only the top 1% of the meritorious students globally.

Here's the Japanese cast lineup and their series character as reported by Koreaboo:

• Nao Matsushita as Sae Asami (originally played by Yum Jung-ah)
• Koyuki as Ayaka Kujo (originally played by Kim Seo-Hyung)
• Fumino Kimura as Izumi Minamisawa
• Manami Higa as Kyoko Nikaido
• Merijun Takahashi as Misaki Natsume

Meanwhile, the following Japanese actors will reportedly play the roles of their kids:

• Sakamoto Manato
• Tamaki Sora
• Arai Miu
• Shirayama Noa
• Shibazaki Fuga
• Matsufuji Shion

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More about South Korea's popular show—SKY Castle

SKY Castle is a satirical Korean drama that explores the materialistic aspirations of upper-class parents in South Korea and the nation's extensive competitiveness during college entrance exams.

The four women relentlessly strive to ensure their families' societal status and their kid's college admission. The four main families live in the fictional posh neighborhood in Seoul dubbed "SKY Castle," which is named after one of the finest institutions in the region. The neighborhood is home to rich surgeons, lawyers, politicians, and physicians.

SKY Castle further shows the extreme paths taken by the four women for their ambitious goals that lead them to murder, deceit, betrayal, and more.

Here's the lead and secondary lead cast lineup of the hit Korean drama:

Main Cast:

• Yum Jung-ah as Han Seo-jin / Kwak Mi-hyang
• Lee Tae-ran as Lee Soo-im
• Yoon Se-ah as No Seung-hye
• Oh Na-ra as Jo Jin-hee
• Kim Seo-hyung as Kim Joo-young

Supporting Cast:

• Jung Joon-ho (Han Seo-jin's husband)
• Kim Hye-yoon (Han Seo-jin's daughter)
• Choi Won-young (Lee Soo-im's husband)
• Kang Chan-hee (Lee Soo-im's step-son)
• Kim Byung-chul (No Seung-hye's husband)
• Kim Dong-hee (No Seung-hye's eldest son)
• Jo Byeong-kyu (No Seung-hye's youngest son)
• Jo Jae-yoon (Jo Jin-hee's husband)
• Yoo Jin-woo (Jo Jin-hee's son)

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Earlier, during the 2019 Asia Drama Conference, the writer of the K-drama, SKY Castle, stated that Warner Bros. might remake the American version of the series. However, no more updates have been received about the same.