“I’m Flustered Too!” Director Na Hong-jin’s ‘Hope’ Hits Cannes: Will There Be a Sequel?

Director Na Hong-jin has arrived at the Cannes Film Festival with ‘Hope’, a film that blends new themes and various genres.

On the 18th (local time), an official press conference for the movie ‘Hope’ (directed by Na Hong-jin) was held at the Palais des Festivals, the main venue of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France.

Director Na Hong-jin attended the event along with actors Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell.

‘Hope’ tells the story of Beom-seok (played by Hwang Jung-min), the chief of the Hopo-hang office located in the Demilitarized Zone. After hearing news from local youths about the appearance of a tiger, the entire village goes on high alert, leading Beom-seok to encounter an unbelievable reality.

Expectations are high for the meeting of director Na Hong-jin, returning with his first new work in 10 years since ‘The Wailing’, and a stellar cast including Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender.

‘Hope’ has entered the competition section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, competing against top works from around the world for the Palme d’Or.

Director Na Hong-jin, known for exploring various genres, has taken on another challenge with ‘Hope’. The film features unfamiliar beings appearing in a familiar Korean setting and creatures never before seen in Korean cinema.

Regarding this, Director Na Hong-jin joked, “I find the occult genre interesting. While filming ‘Hope’, I felt the movie was too kind. Filming such a movie every day was too kind of an act,” adding, “I sincerely miss blood.”

Bravely challenging a genre unfamiliar even to himself, Director Na explained, “While pondering how to approach a crime story, the narrative expanded all the way to space. If ‘The Wailing’ was supernatural and religious, this time it’s space. Naturally, aliens appeared, and that became the start of the movie.”

Director Na expressed his wish for ‘Hope’ to be a primitive film, adding, “I wanted it to be traditional rather than modern, with action scenes that feel like something seen a long time ago. Although it’s a movie featuring 3D creatures, I wanted to create scenes that capture the actors’ performances in a way that contrasts with them.”

He also confessed about the genre of ‘Hope’, “I filmed it thinking it was a movie with more thriller elements. But the action turned out to be fun. (As I filmed) the amount of action increased.”

He playfully shared his thoughts on the action sequences, saying, “Even I thought it would be a thriller, but it was an action movie. I’m flustered too,” which once again brought laughter to the press in Cannes.

Hwang Jung-min greeted the press, saying, “It is an honor and a joy to be able to share these stories with you through this film.”

Regarding the intensity of the shoot, he said, “As we were doing this unfamiliar work for the first time, we drew out our best imagination. When the actions, energies, and emotions of facing an unknown figure came to us, if we could empathize with them, we gained the strength to run even more.”

Saying it wasn’t difficult, Hwang Jung-min recalled the unique set of ‘Hope’, stating, “If the opposing entity had been a human, it would have been hard. I would have stood in the middle and talked about why they were chasing me, but since it’s an unknown entity, I worked on it with great excitement and fun.”

Jo In-sung shared his reason for challenging ‘Hope’, saying, “It might feel like a difficult shoot, but courage is needed to create something new. I approached it with that courage. It was the desire of a filmmaker to show some new images.”

He added, “The emotions were harder than the physical exhaustion. I focused on how to convey this fear and how to make people empathize with human survival instincts.”

Jung Ho-yeon said, “There was fear within me, especially with the gun action, but the director and crew prepared so diligently. I spent about 5 to 6 months in the pre-production period. This is the first time I’ve spent such a long preparation time on a single project.”

She added, “In moments of fear, Alicia Vikander told me, ‘Instead of fear, try to feel the joy of doing something you’ve never done before.’ Hwang Jung-min also kept cheering me on, telling me to just do it with confidence. Thanks to them, we were able to finish the difficult scenes safely,” raising expectations for the work.

On this day, Alicia Vikander revealed her special connection with Director Na Hong-jin. She mentioned that while staying at her first international film festival at age 21, she fell in love with Asian cinema, saying, “A few years later, I saw ‘The Chaser’, and then watched ‘The Yellow Sea’ and ‘The Wailing’ when they were released. It was a shock.”

She explained the beginning of her meeting with the director, “There was a script I was reviewing with an actor friend, and I told my friend, ‘There is only one person who can pull this off,’ referring to Director Na Hong-jin. I didn’t think I’d get a response, but Na Hong-jin joined and we worked on developing it. However, I received a cautious message again. He said he had an SF adventure movie he had held onto for 10 years and finally received investment. I was disappointed, but I understood.”

‘Hope’, which had its world premiere on the 17th (local time), showcases Director Na Hong-jin’s unique worldview, leaving audiences curious about the story that follows.

When asked about a sequel, Director Na Hong-jin replied, “You can guess the story that follows this movie. I have also written some of the story.”

“I want to make it, and if the opportunity arises, I should definitely make it,” Director Na said, adding, “I think I will work to create that opportunity. Nevertheless, I believe the ending of ‘Hope’ possesses its own completeness.”

He expressed his affection for the work, adding, “The subsequent narratives are in a crisis of needing to be rewritten, but anyway, I hope for it (a sequel).”

Meanwhile, ‘Hope’ will be released in Korea in the summer of 2026.