Record-budget sci-fi 'Hope' gears up for local theaters after Cannes

Director Na Hong-jin, second from left, poses with actors Zo In-sung, left, Jung Ho-yeon, third from left, and Hwang Jung-min during a press conference for their movie "Hope" at a theater in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Director Na Hong-jin said his new sci-fi blockbuster “Hope” underwent minor editing changes after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May to achieve the maximum cinematic effect for audiences.

"The film has gone through some changes since its screening at Cannes," Na said during a press conference after the movie's Seoul premiere Monday. "If you saw the movie at Cannes, about five minutes of footage has been deleted. At the same time, around three to four minutes of new scenes were added, bringing the final runtime to a slightly different version."

The highly anticipated sci-fi thriller follows Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), a small-town port outpost chief in the Demilitarized Zone, who puts the entire village on high alert after receiving reports of what they believe is a tiger sighting from local young men.

The film features a star-studded international cast including Korean actors Hwang, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon, alongside Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.

The film has already generated immense buzz as Korea's most expensive cinematic project in history, with a production budget about 70 billion won ($46 million). It also marks Na’s first directorial feature in a decade since his critically acclaimed horror thriller “The Wailing” in 2016.

Actors Jung Ho-yeon, right, and Hwang Jung-min in a scene from “Hope” / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

Na explained that despite the high-stakes action sequences and the heavy use of firearms throughout the movie, he intentionally lowered the level of graphic violence compared to his previous movies.

"I wanted to make a film with a much lower level of violence than my previous works," Na said. "Although guns can be perceived as much more brutal weapons, I realized they could actually be used to express the story effectively without being overly graphic, which is why I designed the action around firearms from the very beginning."

Lead actor Hwang said he faced a completely new experience acting with his imagination rather than a real partner.

"It was my first time acting without an actual partner in front of me, so I had to rely heavily on my imagination. I had to calculate every movement and expression while looking at monitors to check where my eyes should be focused, since there was nothing physically there,” Hwang said.

Zo, who plays village youth Seong-gi, said he underwent intense physical preparation for his dynamic horseback-riding action scenes.

"I practiced riding a horse two to three times a week for about three months, even practicing on real asphalt and riding through permitted mountain trails," Zo said.

"It was very difficult because animals have their own conditions and can stop abruptly unlike cars or motorcycles, but the final action sequence turned out so grand and beautiful that I feel deeply proud of it."

Actor Zo In-sung in a scene from “Hope” / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

Jung, who portrays police officer Seong-ae, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside industry veterans under the direction of Na and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo.

"It was a massive challenge for me just to share the screen with Hwang and Zo on director Na's set," Jung said. "We talked more with our eyes than with words, which made it hard for me to keep up at first. But in the end, I felt like I was completely part of the team."

“Hope” will be released in theaters on July 15.