Thailand's upcoming 'Meteor Garden' remake starring BrightWin polarizes

MANILA, Philippines — Thailand will now have their own version of the hit Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden." 

"2Gether: The Series" stars Bright Vachirawit and Win Metawin will be playing the role of Thyme (Dao Ming Si’s counterpart) and Kavin, respectively.

GMMTV, which will produce the remake, said that BrightWin will star alongside actress Tu Tontawan Tantivejakul, and actors Nani Hirunkit Changkham and Dew Jirawat Sutivanisak.

GMMTV posted a teaser video of the show on their official Facebook account showing the cast. 

“The wait is over. #F4Thailandt,” GMMTV captioned the post. 

F4 Thailand, set to air in 2021, is the latest GMMTV project of BrightWin since the success of their BL series "2gether: The Series" and "Still 2gether."

"Meteor Garden" also had adaptations in several countries, including Japan ("Hana Yori Dango," 2005), South Korea ("Boys Over Flowers," 2009), and China ("Meteor Garden," 2018). 

The show tells the story of a poor girl who stands up for herself against the members of F4, the richest and most popular guys from her school, while also getting caught in a love triangle between two of its members.

F4 Thailand garnered understandably mixed reactions from fans, since BrightWin just came fresh from being an on-screen couple in "Still 2gether."

Some fans took a hit at the show's casting, with some explaining that they have not moved on from the Tine and Sarawat ship.

That casting feels off to me because it's like they only used the queer audience as a springboard for their careers only to immediately revert to heteronomativity. And yes, it's clear now more than ever that they're after the female audience. The gays just got caught in it.

— Juan Miguel Severo ?????‍???? (@TheRainBro) September 16, 2020

Thanks to GMMTV, they didn't even last 5 days lol#brightwin#F4Thailand pic.twitter.com/Kdcd57f3F2

— ???????????????????????????????? IN? (@Aigoooo94) September 17, 2020

People should not discredit how Brightwins feel for the sudden announcement. They have invested emotionally and financially into the ship. Respect begets respect. Still2gether finale hasn't even gone by for more than a week but GMMTV just lavishly paraded F4 Thailand as if (cont)

— Sarawatlism1993 (@Sarawatlism1993) September 17, 2020

Meanwhile, other fans have shown support for the show, defending that the cast was carefully selected by the show's director. They also asserted Bright and Win's individual autonomy as actors to play other roles.

Win, this is your second step right? do your best. Don't overthink negative comments. We will stay by your side, no matter what. You deserve to play not only Tine character role but also other kinds of characters. We want to see your improvement.????????#F4Thailand #winmetawin pic.twitter.com/718iNOlKiP

— KhinMyatNoeHt (@Winterbunny11) September 16, 2020

This video is so LIT ????????

Let's put smiles in our faces now and remove all the bad vibes let's go for good vibes, BrightWin's ???????????? @winmetawin @bbrightvc

Love and Support don't Hate ?????????#F4Thailand #winmetawin #bbrightvc #brightwin #???????? #????????forever #ctto pic.twitter.com/UIeMxXxhbL

— All About BrightWin (@pipe_betadine) September 17, 2020

Choosing artists is the first difficulty. #bbrightvc is the first one we picked. Thyme's character is a really cool guy and being the absolute center of the group. Nonetheless, another equally important thing is soft/naive and sincere side of the character which +#F4Thailand pic.twitter.com/BpuU4YvH3E

— ??newlifeishere???? (@newlifeishere1) September 16, 2020

— Reports from Jan Milo Severo