After a 10-year hiatus, critically acclaimed director Na Hong-Jin returns to the director’s chair with Hope, an upcoming thriller that has been picked up by Neon for North American and English-language rights.
If you’re not familiar with his name, maybe you’re familiar with his work. In 2008, the South Korean filmmaker shook the world with his debut feature film, The Chaser. In 2010, he showed us that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with The Yellow Sea. Then in 2016 came The Wailing, where Na proved his cinematic prowess while tackling the occult subgenre.
The Wailing was the last full length feature we saw from the director, with only brief reminders of his work since. He later produced and co wrote the 2021 Thai horror film The Medium, and released the short film Faith, which also served as a showcase for the Galaxy S23 Ultra as a tool for professional filmmaking.
His new film, Hope, centers on Hope Harbor, a remote village near the Demilitarized Zone, where police chief Bum-seok receives alarming news from local youths that a tiger has appeared. As the village erupts into panic, Bum-seok is forced to confront a reality beyond belief (via Deadline).
Hope features an all-star, international cast that includes Hwang Jung-min (Deliver Us From Evil), Zo In-sung (Humint), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave), Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game), Taylor Russell (Escape Room) and Cameron Britton (Umbrella Academy). Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo (Parasite, Burning), who worked with Na on The Wailing, is also on board.
Hot Take: The good news: Na Hong-Jin has a new film on the way. The bad news: Going by his track record, it could be another 3 to 10 years before his next one.
U.S. distributor Neon will be releasing Hope later this year. We expect a Trailer to soon, but until then, here’s a photo featuring the cast from the film, followed by a look at Na’s previous films – including his short film, Faith:
Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender only have small parts in this movie (we all know what “WITH … AND …” mean in a poster.
Hwang Jung-min is the star of the movie.