The teaser trailer has arrived for Hope, and it’s a surprisingly enticing first look at one of the more exciting sci-fi swings to emerge from Cannes this year. Watch the teaser above, then read on for a deeper dive into the upcoming South Korean epic from The Wailing director Na Hong-jin.
The Hope Teaser Trailer: Sci-Fi Chaos Comes to a Small Village
The first teaser for Hope does not give too much away, but what it does show is mighty intriguing. We’re thrown into a South Korean town that’s clearly been through something chaotic. A cop car carrying police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min, The Wailing) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon, Squid Game) turns up to find bodies and wreckage everywhere, before a car tumbles violently through the street and hits a terrified person running for their life.
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And while it is a teaser and the footage doesn’t lay it all out there, it’s made crystal clear: creatures, spaceships, and breathless chases lie ahead.
The story also follows a group of hunters, including Sung-ki (Zo In-sung, Moving), who head into the surrounding forest to track a beast, only to find themselves becoming the prey.
Na Hong-jin Took Hope to Cannes After The Wailing, But It Wasn’t Finished
Hope comes from Na Hong-jin, the acclaimed South Korean filmmaker behind The Chaser, The Yellow Sea, and The Wailing. If those credits are any indication, audiences should probably expect something intense, unpredictable, and not especially interested in staying within one neat genre box.
The film recently premiered in Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where early reactions have been all over the place in a way that somehow makes it even more intriguing. Some critics have been won over by its wild mix of sci-fi, comedy, action, and gruesome horror, while others have found it overlong and tonally uneven, with criticism also aimed at the visual effects.
One important note: Na has said the version shown at Cannes was not fully finished. Speaking with Deadline, the director said, “To be honest with you I didn’t have enough time to finish this film for Cannes. There’s still work to do. I was working on the sound just the day before traveling here.”
The Influence of Spielberg and ’90s Action
Na has also pointed to some very interesting inspirations for the film. In Deadline’s report, the filmmaker said he looked to early Steven Spielberg films such as Duel and Jaws while developing the story, particularly the idea of a local lawman facing something far beyond his control. He also referenced the “lone hero cop” energy of ’80s and ’90s Hollywood action films, including Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.
The creature work, meanwhile, was designed with a more tactile approach in mind. Na said he wanted the creatures to have “a human-being touch,” explaining that while modern technology allows filmmakers to render monsters entirely with CGI, he was interested in going back to older methods and studying creature features from the 1950s and ’60s.
A Hope Sequel Is Already in the Works
As reported by Variety, a sequel is already being eyed. Na revealed during a Cannes press conference that there is already a screenplay he’d like to tackle, saying, “I think you can readily imagine this sequel. And there’s a script that’s already been done that I’d like to shoot. So if I have the opportunity, I would indeed make a sequel if possible.”
Of course, it will come down to the film’s performance as to whether a follow-up is greenlit. For now, Na has made it clear that he’s got the ideas at the ready. Could there be a potential franchise starter here?
What Pulled in Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender
Hope stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Hoyeon, alongside Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton.
Vikander spoke at Cannes about being drawn to Na’s work, saying she became interested in Korean cinema after attending the Busan Film Festival early in her career. She said she later watched The Wailing and was “utterly blown away,” with a previous attempt to work with Na not coming together.
The opportunity finally arrived when Na contacted her again with a rather direct pitch. “He then reached out two or three years later and said, ‘I have some aliens.’ And I was intrigued,” Vikander said, as quoted by Variety. “I didn’t think, I said yes! I think director Na is incredible, such a visionary, and I felt very honored to be part of his film.”
Fassbender, who is married to Vikander, had a much simpler explanation for joining the film: “Alicia told me to do it.” Vikander then joked, “He listens to me!” Not a bad casting strategy, really.
Hope Release Date
Hope is set to be released in U.S. cinemas this fall through Neon. The company acquired North American and English-language rights to the film ahead of its Cannes premiere.
A wider international release picture is also starting to take shape, with Mubi picking up rights for Latin America, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Turkey. Further release details, including Australian plans, have not yet been announced.
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