SDCC: ‘HOPE’ COMES TO SAN DIEGO

Mysterious creatures abound in the new thriller from The Wailing filmmaker Na Hong-Jin. A film that appears to be both chilling and thrilling, Hope takes us to the town of Hope after wildfires have severed communication and the people are isolated. Then a bloodthirsty creature emerges and the town must be defended. But as teased, there is more to the creatures than meets the eye. Na Hong-Jin spoke through the assistance of a translator and said to abandon any previous assumptions about the movie based on his universe. The film took 10 years to make because he chose this story “like a handmade work of art.” When asked about visual effects, Na Hong-Jin explained the actors are physical with only the wires removed, but also the creatures are added to the same frame digitally to give a surreal effect. This movie is only about a third of the the story, and they are hoping the audiences love it and they can make a sequel. Na Hong-Jin hopes audiences see this as a story of mankind. He did not want to address this as space as that would be too big, he wanted to focus on a small isolated area. Discussion on the panel often referred to the creatures as ‘aliens’ and implied a space aspect. Asked about what genre he would put this movie in, he said it is an action-focused movie. Based on clips shown with creepy creatures and high-tension car chases, Hope appears to be very much a horror-action film. Coming September 9, 2026.