Korean writer Na Hong-jin is finally returning to Cannes. A decade after his supernatural freak out Wailing The mercenary genre, which has wowed festival-goers, is set to return to the Croisette in May with the long-running sci-fi thriller. He hopesIt is his first film in the event’s main competition.
He hopes The film was among 21 competing titles unveiled by Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux on Thursday at the festival’s annual press conference in Paris.
Fremaux said the project was briefly announced to the assembled press corps He hopes It runs “over two hours” and “constantly changes genres” while revealing a story that is “a piece of history that has never been told before”.
He hopesNotably, it is also Na’s first film to be partially narrated in English with a mixed Korean and Hollywood cast. It brings together Korean stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and… Squid gameJung Ho Yeon with Oscar-winning couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, plus Bones and allTaylor Russell W Mind hunterCameron Britton.
According to the film’s official tagline, the story begins when police chief Beom-seok, played by Hwang, receives alarming news from local youth that a tiger has appeared in the hills, a report that explodes into village-wide panic and quickly escalates into something very strange. The story is said to be set in a remote port village near the demilitarized zone in Korea. In South Korea, the film has been called our most ambitious project to date. He has publicly discussed the possibility of producing some sort of franchise.
The director said the entire project grew from a single image that came to him while dining at a restaurant in Seoul sometime in 2017. He hopes It was shot by esteemed local cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, known for his work on contemporary Korean classics such as parasite and burnbesides Wailing.
Na has steadily risen through the ranks of Cannes to become one of the event’s favorite directors from East Asia. Each of its four features premiered at the festival. His first appearance in 2008 pursuer Played at midnight shows, and follow-up Yellow sea She landed on Un Certain Regard in 2011, and Wailing It was first shown out of competition in 2016.
An unforgettable supernatural thriller that grossed nearly $50 million worldwide from a $6 million budget, Wailing cementing Na’s reputation as one of the most distinctive voices anywhere. His long-awaited follow-up, which he has been developing and producing since 2017, is said to have one of the largest budgets ever allocated to a Korean film – with some estimates pegging production costs at $50 million.
“It is an honor for me,” Na said in a brief statement issued on Thursday in response to his film being selected at the Cannes Film Festival, adding, “I will continue to work hard in the future.”
He hopes It is produced by Na’s Forged Films and co-produced and distributed by Plus M Entertainment, the distribution arm of Korean multiplex chain Megabox, with Westworld also involved in the production. Plus M is handling international sales, with UTA Independent Film Group partnering on the sale of North American production rights. The film is scheduled to be released in summer theaters in Korea.
He hopes It is the first Korean title to enter the main competition at Cannes in four years, after Park Chan-wook won The decision to leave in 2022. Park will be among those judging his compatriot’s entry, as the Korean maestro was appointed president of the Cannes 2026 jury earlier this year.
