TBS has announced a drama adaptation of the hit 2001 Korean movie "My Sassy Girl," which is known as "Ryokiteki na Kanojo" in Japan. The series will star SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and actress Lena Tanaka.

The romantic comedy, which originally starred Cha Tae-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun, was highly successful in Korea, and its popularity quickly spread throughout the rest of Asia. Immediately following its release in Japan in 2003, multiple television networks reportedly began fighting over drama adaptation rights. However, it wasn't until Kusanagi was attached to the project that a deal was made this past spring.

The character backgrounds and plot details will be changed for the drama. While the protagonists in the original film were college students, this time the pair will be a marine biology professor (Kusanagi) and an aspiring writer (Tanaka).

Nao Matsushita, Emi Suzuki, Yoshie Ichige, Nahomi Matsushima, Shosuke Tanihara, and Takaya Kamikawa have also been announced as cast members.

Hidenori Iyoda is producing, and Yuji Sakamoto is handling the script. Filming already started earlier this month, with the series scheduled to premiere in April.