Director Na Hong-jin's new film 'Hope' met North American audiences at San Diego Comic-Con.
'Hope' (directed/written by Na Hong-jin, produced by Posed Films, co-produced by Plus M Entertainment and Westworld Inc., presented/distributed by Plus M Entertainment) confirmed its North American release date for September 9th. Director Na Hong-jin attended the Ballroom 20 event at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23rd and met with approximately 4,000 audience members. Comic-Con is the world's largest pop culture festival encompassing movies, comics, games, and more, and the event was hosted by popular culture critic Joanna Robinson, demonstrating strong interest.
Prior to the main event, a special video featuring edited highlights from Na Hong-jin's previous works including 'The Chaser', 'The Yellow Sea', and 'The Wailing' was screened, heating up the atmosphere. Director Na Hong-jin took the stage and stated that while this work carries the message from his previous films, its style and narrative are completely different, urging the audience to put aside preconceptions and expectations about his past work. He then continued the conversation about the overwhelming scale and the worldwide interest in the film.
Afterwards, an opening sequence featuring Jung Ho-yeon and unpublished footage from the film were unveiled for the first time. Scenes of Hwang Jung-min struggling in a chaotic town confronting an alien and Cho Jin-sung on horseback facing a chase with a patrol car were screened, garnering explosive reactions. Director Na Hong-jin cited the scene with the highest shooting difficulty as the one where characters ride horses and flee through a forest. He also praised Jung Ho-yeon, who received driving training for six months and successfully performed both difficult drifting stunts and acting simultaneously. The subsequent Q&A session further heightened the excitement as the director answered questions directly.
'Hope', which has maintained an unwavering number one position at the box office since its release and continues its success, tells the story that begins when Hwang Jung-min, the head of the Hopo Port branch office located in the demilitarized zone, hears from village youths about a tiger sighting and faces an unbelievable reality. The film is currently in theaters nationwide.
