Yeon Sang-ho shares first glimpse of zombie blockbuster 'Peninsula'

Director Yeon Sang-ho, left, and the cast of "Peninsula" pose for a photo at the online press conference for the film in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of NEW

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho has finally unveiled the first glimpse of the post-apocalyptic world of "Peninsula," the sequel to 2016 box office juggernaut "Train to Busan."

"Peninsula," which has been invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival, is expected to open in July. Set four years after "Train to Busan," the upcoming film tells the story of the survivors and the world taken over by zombies.

It is Yeon's third Cannes entry following the animated film "The King of Pigs" in 2012 and "Train to Busan" in 2016.

Gang Dong-won plays Jung-seok, a former soldier who goes back to the zombie-packed peninsula on a mission, while Lee Jung-hyun plays Min-jung, a mother of two daughters and an uninfected survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Lee saves the lives of Jung-seok and his mission crew from a massive zombie attack and they join forces to escape the devastated land.

Gang said he joined the project because he liked the script and had respect for director Yeon.

"I'm not a huge fan of zombie movies myself and appearing in the second installment of a hit movie can be burdensome for actors. But I was satisfied with the script and I've been wanting to star in a post-apocalyptic movie," he said.

Lee recalled her gratitude when director Yeon cast her as Min-jung. "When I got the call, I happily accepted the casting offer because I was already a big fan of Train to Busan ― I've watched it about four or five times," she said.

Director Yeon had already mapped out the sequel while he was looking for filming locations for "Train to Busan."

"While I was scouting filming locations for the 2016 film, I found many destroyed and abandoned areas left to ruin in Korea. I hoped to make a film at those ruins one day and that dream came true," he said.

Actor Gang Dong-won in a scene from the film "Peninsula" / Courtesy of NEW

In contrast to "Train to Busan," in which survivors and zombies fought physically in a restricted space inside a train, "Peninsula" features fast-paced car chase and shooting scenes in the city of Seoul that lays in ruins.

"Compared with the 2016 film that involved action sequences inside the train, we put a lot of effort into car chase scenes in the post-apocalyptic world. We used computer graphics and special visual effects to deliver unprecedented imagery and a thrilling experience to the audience," Yeon said.

The filmmaker highlighted the underpinning message of "Peninsula" is finding hope in the post-apocalyptic time.

He also noted that the global popularity of Korean zombie blockbusters is attributed to their complexity and distinctive characteristic.

"What people like about Korean zombies is that they are not just monsters or evil creatures that we have to fight against. They were our family and neighbors minutes ago before they got infected," he said.

"Peninsula" will hit local theaters in July.

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