Director Na Hong-jin’s new film Hope will hit theaters on July 15.
On the 8th, distributor Plus M Entertainment announced, "Hope is confirmed for a July 15 theatrical release." Hope marks director Na Hong-jin’s fourth feature, following his genre-defining works The Chaser, The Yellow Sea, and The Wailing.
The story is set around Hopo Port near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Outpost chief Beom-seok hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, plunging the village into a state of emergency as they confront an unbelievable reality.
Hwang Jung-min plays Beom-seok, the outpost chief at Hopo Port; Jo In-sung takes on the role of Seong-gi, a village youth; and Jung Ho-yeon portrays police officer Seong-ae. International stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton join as key characters connected to a mysterious entity, completing a truly global cast.
Hope was invited to compete at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, drawing early attention from the global film community. Although it did not take home a prize, the film created buzz on the ground in Cannes with its intense genre energy and unpredictable twists.
The festival described the work as "ignorance becomes the seed of catastrophe, escalating human conflict into a tragedy on a cosmic scale." Executive director Thierry Frémaux also praised it, saying, "The film’s genre keeps evolving, unfolding a story that has never been explored before."
Overseas critics responded enthusiastically as well. The Guardian called it "top-tier entertainment that will further fuel the K-wave," while Variety wrote that it features "breathtakingly elegant action direction." France’s Libération similarly lauded its "cinematic energy that dominates the screen from start to finish."
Hope has proven its global appeal in the marketplace, too. At the Cannes Film Market, it was pre-sold to more than 200 countries and territories, reportedly setting a new all-time record for overseas pre-sales by a Korean film.
The production scale is equally unprecedented. While the distributor did not disclose the exact budget, industry estimates put Hope at over 70 billion won (approximately over US$50 million), the largest production cost in Korean cinema history—raising expectations for the film’s scope and craftsmanship.
The runtime is approximately 160 minutes. Beginning with a hunt for an unidentified entity attacking a rural village, the narrative expands into a desperate fight to protect the town, taking unforeseen turns along the way.
As Na Hong-jin’s long-anticipated follow-up to The Wailing and a large-scale project uniting Korean and international talent, Hope is poised to shake up the summer box office.