Hailey van Braam
Originally produced by Yoon Sung-Hyun, the Korean thriller film, Time to Hunt is set to be turned into an English-language adaptation by Netflix.
Time to Hunt’s Origin
The film was first released at the 70th Berlin Film Festival in February 2020. Unfortunately, it didn’t make a theatrical run because of the global quarantine prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Netflix obtained the film’s distribution rights, eventually launching it on its streaming platform in April last year. Though Time to Hunt got favorite critic reviews, audience remarks were more or less apathetic.
Adam Randall, who previously directed the Netflix original films Night Teeth and iBoy, will direct Time to Hunt’s English remake.
The Future of Netflix’s English Adaptation Projects
Time to Hunt marks the first of hopefully many other non-English film adaptations for English speaking viewers. Though Netflix has successfully launched previous non-English productions, the likes of Squid Game that quickly rose to stardom, we are yet to see the effectiveness of localizing international content.
Though the English modification of Time Hunt may prove a success, it would be wise for Netflix to continue investing in non-English projects like the recently launched Hellbound Korean sci-fi TV show. The fact that this non-English thriller series has topped the list of Netflix’s TV shows indicates that English fans are very receptive to non-English content as long as their style and technique are top-notch.
Besides, what distinguishes Netflix from other streaming companies is that it makes diverse international programs accessible to audiences all over the world. We hope that Netflix will continue to represent more upcoming international producers so that non-English content like Squid Game can have an English following for many years.
