Sony Pictures has acquired the English-language remake rights to Chinese comedy drama, "Hi, Mom", which until recently overtaken by "Barbie" had been the world’s highest grossing film directed by a solo female.

The original picture, directed by Jia Ling and released in early 2021, sees a young woman whose mother has been fatally injured in a car accident, travel back to the early 1980s where she becomes best friend to the younger version of her mother. That enables her to work on giving her mother a better life than first time around.

Variety's review of the picture said it had an "inspired storytelling switch" and was "a top-notch tearjerker that will have viewers everywhere reaching for the tissues".

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"I am looking forward to this cooperation and I am so glad that my story with my mom can be shared with more people. I believe that while everyone’s story with their mom is unique, the love in these stories is universal and something we can all resonate with," Jia said.

The original story, known in Chinese as "Hello, Li Huanying", Jia’s late mother’s real name, was developed by Jia from a comedy sketch of the same name that she wrote in 2016. Production of the feature began in 2019 with production by Beijing Jingxi Culture.

Jia co-starred as the young woman, while Zhang Xiaofei played the younger version of her mother.

"Hi, Mom" was released in February 2021, timed to coincide with the Chinese New Year peak box office season, and grossed RMB5.41 billion (some $841 million at current exchange rates), making it the third highest performing film of all time in China.

Source: Variety